Indian Summer
by Cobalt-Wolf
Summary: After moving from sunny Kentucky to dreary Washington Dixie faces struggles making friends and fitting in with her twangy voice and her every move radiating 'newness.' Her luck changes, when she meets a boy named Embry who changes her mind and her future
1. Different Planet

Indian Summer

I leaned my head against the car window as my mom continued to sing along with the band Alabama as they sang 'my song' Dixieland Delight. The static started to crackle and soon we lost the station.

"Dang, can't keep any station." My dad cursed, fiddling with the radio while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "S'gonna take us forever to find a good country station."

"If we hadn't left we wouldn't have to find a new station." I muttered quietly, watching the trees fly by that replaced my beloved rolling hills of blue grass.

"You know we didn't have a choice." My dad said flatly, still trying to find a decent station. Everything was pop.

"Yeah we did, you didn't have to take this job."

"Dixie, you know this is really big for your father." My mom cooed. "It's a much better job than what he had before."

"But why Forks Washington?" I shot back. "You guys loved Kentucky, all our family is back there, [i]and[/i] Forks is the rainiest town in the world! There's never gonna be any sun! We're gonna be stuck in a little gloomy small town all because the law firm dad's workin' for waved some money at him."

"Dixie!" Mom scolded.

"That's enough, Dixie." My dad growled, giving me 'the look' in the rear view mirror. It was the look he'd give me when I was on the edge of getting a spanking. I didn't doubt my dad's ability of giving me, his 16 year old daughter, a spanking

"I don't understand why Rhett got to stay back in La Grange." I pouted.

My dad glanced at me again in the rearview mirror, "Because yer brother is legally able ta stay by himself. Ya ain't old enough and that's the end a this discussion." Whenever my dad got really pissed his thick southern accent came out. He worked really hard to work up a decent non-hickish sounding voice for his job. My mom took my dad's hand over the center council of the truck and held it lovingly.

My pants started vibrating then. I dug my cell phone out and flipped it open, there was a text from my 22 year old brother Rhett. 'How's the road trip?' was what it said. I texted him back telling him he better get his ass out here and save me soon. I knew he'd get a kick out of that but wouldn't take me seriously.

I pushed the send button, there was a cartoon of a letter flying into a mail box flashing on the screen. How ironic that they'd use that image that seemed almost ancient for today's newest technology. 'Message sent' flashed across the screen and the picture blinked away to reveal the background on my phone. It was one of those self took pics of me and my 'friend' Ronny. We had been straying into something deeper than the term friend when my parents decided they needed to uproot my life and drag me to the other side of the country.

In the picture my head was leaning against Ronny's shoulder, his arm was wrapped around my waist and he grinned that smile that made swoon every time. I had no idea if I'd see him gorgeous brown eyes in person ever again.

It was late summer, early August, I'd be starting school next week and knew no one. I had the same friends since preschool and now I'd have to make some new ones. Or I could just be the social outcast, go goth, sit in the corner and cut myself.

I'm way too dramatic.

The woods started to lessen and soon I saw a sign that said 'Welcome to Forks' in big bold letters. "Hey, we made it!" My corny mom exclaimed.

"Joy," I muttered to myself.

We had to drive down the main street to get to the other side of town where our house was, which didn't take long. The main street was dotted with small amounts of people and cute little shops you'd see on movies. Once we were on the other side of town the woods began to thicken again.

"I heard there are wolves returning to this region. Isn't that cool, Dixie? Maybe we'll see one." My dad sounded like we were taking a day trip to the zoo. I heard wolves were immensely shy animals and I highly doubted we'd see one.

We stopped at a stop sign and I could have sworn I saw a grey blur run through the trees. Probably my imagination getting the best of me.

Our house was nestled back in a grove of trees. I thought back to my home back in La Grange, Kentucky. We lived in farm country, it was all open except at this time of year when the corn was at it's highest. I sighed thinking of the yellowing acres of wheat and corn I left behind back home. I looked up at where the sky was supposed to be and felt somewhat claustrophobic.

The semi backed in our driveway after we parked off to the side. One of my dad's buddies had a semi and he offered to drive our stuff out. I stepped out of the car as the backup beeper echoed off the closely laid trees. I shivered and reached for my hoodie, it wasn't this cold when I got in the car.

My dad and his buddy, Gary, started unloading the boxes and me and my mom would bring them inside, trying to separate them into piles so we could at least know what went were. We finished unloading and waved good bye to Gary, our last piece of Kentucky.

My dad took us out to eat that night. All our cooking utensils were packed away and we had no food anyways. I think they also wanted to check out the town. We ended going to this small corner diner and I felt out of place as soon as we went in.

All the heads turned when we walked in, they didn't stare but they looked long enough to make me feel uncomfortable. We found a table, I would have chosen one in the back but my parents, being as eccentric as they are, picked one in the middle. The waitress had a sweet face and greeted us with a smile.

"You guys from around here? I don't think I've seen you before?" She asked, cocking her head to the side like a curious dog.

"We just moved here." My dad said, using his worked up non-southern accent. I could just feel the stares.

"Well, welcome! We're glad you're here!" The waitress then proceeded to take our orders and all that jazz.

Curling up in my newly made bed that night I thought about tomorrow. I'd spend most of it unpacking but I hoped I could try to find some people my own age. What kinds of things did teens do up here? What was I saying, it's not like I moved to a different planet.

I flipped open my phone and gazed at the picture of Ronny and me. I let out a long sigh. It may not have been another planet but it sure felt like it.


	2. Black Coffee

**Here's the next chapter, thanks to all of you who commented!! **

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning with a positive outlook. That all ended when I opened my eyes and saw the huge pile of boxes that were waiting for me to unpack them. I sat on the edge of my bed for a moment, rubbing my eyes and trying to regain my surroundings. It was raining outside; I guess I'd have to get used to that.

I trotted downstairs for a quick shower and breakfast then made my way back to my room to dig into the pile of work that lay ahead of me. It wasn't long before I needed a break. One can stack books for only so long before they become insane.

I decided now would be a good time to head up town to check things out. It had stopped raining and it was only a ten minute walk into town. I grabbed the first coat I saw and left a note for my parents who were occupied in other parts of the house before heading out the door.

I pulled the hood up on my jacket. It wasn't raining but it was slightly misting. I set off walking on the side of the road towards town. There weren't really any cars on the road, it was a week day, so I didn't have to walk in the mud.

By the time I got to town I realized Forks was not the town for walking. I was freezing and even though I was dry I still felt wet all over. I craved the hot sun rays that were undoubtedly beaming down on La Grange. I guess I'd have to settle for some coffee.

I ducked into the little café and was greeted by warmth and the dark smell of coffee. I pulled my hood back and saw only one other group sitting in the café. It was a group of teens about my age sitting at the corner booth. They stared at me with confused and wary eyes. One girl looked me up and down and sneered.

I ignored them for the moment and headed to the counter to order my drink. What was I even wearing? I hadn't paid much attention this morning. I looked down and cursed myself. I had on my distressed leather Ariat 'Fatbaby' boots, some ragged long boot cut jeans I used when I went horse back riding with my friends, a ladies cut t-shirt from Wal-mart that said CMT in western style letters, a black ball cap with a number three with wings on it standing for the deceased Dale Earnhardt Sr., my ancient Carhart jacket, and to don it all off I was wearing a studded leather belt with a silver belt buckle. It was my favorite belt buckle; it had floral designs and a big D written in fake ruby rhinestones. Could I look any more like a hick? To answer my question I heard someone from the corner hum the Dixie horn from Dukes of Hazzard.

So much for making good first impressions. I moved down to the other counter to wait for the woman behind the counter, who had given me a sympathetic smile, to finish making my coffee. I kept my shoulders back; it wasn't like I was ashamed of who I was but I had planned to try to fit in a little bit.

Just as the lady was coming back with my coffee I heard the unmistakable sound of flip flops hitting bare feet. I wouldn't think that would be good footwear for such a wet climate. I turned around to see a guy heading my way. The first thing I saw was that he definitely wasn't my type. He had shaggy blonde hair, some pre-faded jeans, a maroon Holister shirt, and… flip flops. I thought those were for girls.

"Hi, I'm Dan." He stuck out his hand in greeting and smiled. I think his eyes were blue, but I couldn't really tell because he was in major need of a hair cut. He did have a nice smile though.

I shook his hand; hoping I didn't shake too hard and smiled. "I'm Dixie."

He nodded, "Are you new here?"

"Black coffee." The woman behind the counter read off my order and placed it next to me.

"You drink black coffee?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled weakly, "Yeah, I like black coffee. And, um, yeah my family just moved here from Kentucky."

"Ahh," He said, "that would explain the boots."

I shrugged, "This is just who I am."

Despite the overall hippie appearance he was definitely cute. "So you're going to Forks High right? You want to meet some people?"

"Um..." I debated it but then decided it was now or never. "Sure," I replied; nodding. "Sounds good."

He led me over the corner table where the giggling had been silenced. There were about five of them including Dan, three girls two guys. The girl that sneered out my wardrobe earlier wasn't sneering but she looked somewhat... peeved. The others looked welcoming

He introduced me, listing off names I forgot two seconds after he said them. They each smiled in return and made a spot for me to sit down.

"So you're from Kentucky?" One of the girls asked, a brunette who's name started with an S... Stacy?

"Yeah, I am." I answered, sipping some of my coffee. I relished the feeling of the liquid running down my throat and warming me from my head to my feet.

"What part of Kentucky are you from?" She prodded.

"I'm from La Grange, it's about an hour or so from Louisville."

"Oh, ok." She nodded, "I have cousins in Louisville."

"Oh?" I'd have to remember this girl, hopefully she'd have some sympathy for me.

"Yeah, I haven't seen them in forever." She leaned back, taking her tan colored drink covered in whip cream and sprinkles with her. I had felt bad for the defiled coffee, it's like it had its dignity stripped.

"So..." The girl who had sneered at me earlier whose name I believed was Lisa started, "does everyone from where you're from dress like that?"

She said it like I was from another planet... well... I did say that last night didn't I? "Not all of us." I replied.

She nodded thoughtfully and took a sip of her coffee, which was also grotesquely defiled. We small talked for another hour probably. Most of the questions revolved around me. I tried to get in a couple questions about our school, we all were going to be juniors, but they weren't really talking about stuff they already knew.

By the end of our visit I still stuck out but at least they realized I didn't bite. I had only a couple days before school started and I was actually looking forward to it. When we were leaving Dan offered to drive me home and since it had started to rain I accepted.

"Don't listen to Lisa, she just isn't used to not being the center of attention." Dan said with a laugh.

"I wasn't really planning on listening to her." I said truthfully. He laughed again.

"Hey the weather is supposed to be great this Saturday, the last couple hot days of summer. We were all gonna head down to the beach, you want to come?"

I'd been here a matter of hours and I was already being invited to hang out with them? I must be better at this than I thought. "Sounds like fun." I said, "Where's the beach?"

"It's about an hour away, down on the Quileute reservation."

I nodded, I had heard there was a Native American tribe in the area. It'll be interesting to check that out.


	3. Everything is Fine

**Thanks for everyone that commented! But please, no ghosty readers!! I love that you read my story every time but I'd love it even more if you commented!! Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 3

It was surprisingly warm when I woke up Saturday morning. The digital clock said it was a scorchin' 78 degrees. Ha. At least it wouldn't be cold and rainy like I had figured it would be.

Dan had offered to pick me up that day so I met him in the front yard around ten a.m. The boys back home would have laughed at his little foreign made car, but I guess here it wasn't really a big deal.

We met at the school to get in another person's van. As Dan and I made our way over to the van that was surrounded by the group I saw at the café and several other teens I realized they hadn't seen me. Or maybe they did and they didn't care if I knew they were talking about me.

"I can't believe he invited her," Lisa said, "she's a complete redneck. I mean, just listen to her talk."

I didn't think my voice was that twangy. I knew several people back home whose accents were worse. "I don't think it's that bad," One of the guys from the coffee shop said. He didn't finish his statement before they saw me walking up.

"Hi, Dixie." Stacy smiled.

I smiled back, "Hey,"

"Are we ready to go?" Dan asked before adding, "Shot gun!"

The drive down to the beach I learned was named La Push was crammed and awkward. I didn't know either of the people I was sitting next to and they made feeble attempts at trying to get to know me. Just things like, 'hey' what's your name' where you from.' Well, I had to give them props for trying.

By the time it had warmed up a bit and I was glad I was wearing shorts. It almost made me feel like I was back in Kentucky. Some of the people set up a volleyball net and started a game. I decided to sit the first round out and Stacy came to sit by me.

"So how you liking Forks so far?" she asked.

I shrugged, "It's fine, I miss home, though."

"I wish I could sympathize with you," she admitted, "but I've lived here my whole life."

I nodded, watching the players in front of us volley the white ball to each other over the net. I looked beyond them at the vast dark waters. The sun rays made the water glisten and it looked like it was dancing.

"You know, this is my first time to an ocean beach." I confessed to Stacy.

She stared at me like I was crazy, "Are you serious?"

I laughed, "Yeah, sorry, Kentuckys landlocked."

"But you've never been on vacation to, like, a costal state?"

I shrugged, "We never traveled very far. This is actually the farthest I've ever been from Kentucky."

She shook her head sadly, "You poor sheltered hillbilly."

"Hey!" I laughed, pushing her head into the sand.

"Cat fight," I looked up and saw Dan walking towards us from the volleyball game.

"You don't want to play anymore?" I asked.

He shrugged one shoulder, "Nah, they're startin' a new game so I decided to duck out and keep you guys company."

"Who said we wanted you around?" Stacy glared jokingly.

"I'm hurt," Dan contorted his face in a cute way and grabbed his heart. We all laughed. Meanwhile some of the volleyball players had abandoned the game like Dan had and they were making their way down to the water. One of the guys grabbed Lisa who had wandered down to the water with them and chucked her into the water. She squealed in horror as she flew through the air, landing in the waves with a splash. Beside me Dan and Stacy were practically rolling in the sand laughing. I had to admit; when she stood up she looked like a danged drowned rat.

Once the hysteria had died down I said aloud to no one in general, "I didn't think it'd get this hot up here." The sun was beating down with incredible strength; it had to be around 85 degrees.

"It's the dog days," Dan said, "Indian summer. It's always hotter up here near the end of summer."

"Speaking of Indians," Stacy said, "sexy native alert." I heard Dan let out an annoyed sigh. I looked in the direction Stacy's head was pointed.

Sure enough there were two huge Native Americans walking along the very edge of the beach up by the tree line. When I say huge, I mean _huge_. They were both tall probably close to 6'8" and extremely muscular. They were dressed in just some cut of shorts. Stacy was right, they were incredibly sexy.

One of them caught my eye. They were nearly identical, they could have been twins, but the one drew my attention. He was also staring at me, I couldn't tell clearly but it kinda looked like his mouth was slightly dropped in a dumb stare. The other guy wasn't looking at us. When he saw his companion's face he looked towards us, horror on his face, and ran his hand through his hair with frustration.

"That one is staring at you, Dixie." Stacy said. I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off him. It was weird, I felt… drawn to him. All this muggy weather must be getting to me; I don't even know this guy. Yet, he continued to stare at me, dumbfounded. He didn't even see the tree until he ran into it.

Dan started laughing really loudly along with the guy's friend. Stacy giggled, while I, before what I was doing, got up and ran over to him to see if he was ok.

"Man, are you serious?" The guy's friend was saying between laughs. "I can't believe you…." They guy's friend saw me and stopped. The guy was starting to get up, rubbing his head and muttering. The guy's friend lent him a hand and said to me, "Hey,"

"Hi," I said timidly, "um... are you ok?"

The guy's head shot up then and he jumped to his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine." He muttered almost incoherently. He was staring at me again. He stuck his hand out for me to shake, "I'm Embry."

"Hey, I'm Dixie." I shook his hand, it was scorching hot – probably just from the hot sand.

"I'm Quil," The guy's friend said, I shook his hand also which was also burning.

"Are… are you new around here? I don't think I've seen you at this beach before." Embry stuttered.

"I just moved here from Kentucky." I supplied. Embry still wasn't taking his eyes off me, normally it would have felt awkward but for some reason it felt right.

"Hey, I got to go." Quil said, nudging Embry's elbow. "I'll see you back at the Cullen's."

Embry nodded, not taking his eyes off me. "You want to go for a walk, Dixie?" He asked.

"Sure," I answered quickly before thinking. What was I saying? I didn't even know this guy!

But for some reason I felt safe. Like at that moment, nothing was wrong and I had nothing to worry about. Embry extended his arm with a grin and I took it, thinking to myself how crazy I had really gotten.


	4. We Will

**Thanks for your comments! Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 4

"How long have you been in Forks?" Embry asked, I had dropped his arm and now we were just walking side by side. I could feel the stares of my friends on my back. It probably looked weird, me heading away from them with some big Indian. But I felt safe with Embry, like I had known him before.

"I've only been here a couple days." I responded.

"Do you like it so far?"

I shrugged, "It's ok, I guess. I wish I was back home."

"I don't," Embry said "then I wouldn't have met you."

Did he really just say that? I looked up at him and he had a look on his face like he was wondering the same thing. I giggled to break the awkward moment. "I know, right? I'm just that cool."

Embry laughed, seemingly glad that I didn't turn around and run away right then. He guided me over to a cluster of rocks and we sat down, facing the ocean. The dark waves beat against the shore, making a relaxing sound. The sun was still high in the sky; beating down hot rays on us.

"It's so beautiful up here." I said, glancing down the beach. I could see an island off in the distance and some cliffs jutting off into the ocean.

"It is," Embry agreed.

"You're probably used to it, though. I mean, haven't you lived here your whole life?"

He shrugged, "The scenery changes." I had a haunting suspicion he was talking about me. I should have run away right then. I barely knew this guy, and here I was sitting away from everyone else in the group. But I didn't, I felt even more drawn. Like this is where I belonged.

I looked up at him. He was gazing out over the ocean. His face was handsome; he had dark brown eyes and short chopped off black hair. It was kind of messy, but on him it looked cute. He had a strong jaw, high cheek bones, and a slightly crooked nose, like it had broke before and wasn't reset. He probably felt me staring at him, and he turned to look back at me. Our eyes met and I had the strangest feeling inside of me. Like there was nothing else in the world. Before I knew what I was doing I was kissing him.

I don't know who started it, and at that moment I don't even know if I cared. It was a rough kiss at first, but then it smoothed out. We were kissing each other, softly, delicately. His face was hot to the touch. I ran a shaking hand through his short hair. He broke apart, keeping his forehead against mine. "I have to tell you something," He breathed.

I kissed him again; he probably thought I was a whore. I felt like a whore. But all at the same time I felt like this was my destiny. "Dixie…" he breathed again.

"Dixie!" I jumped at Dan's voice. We pulled apart quickly and I stood up, straightening my shirt. Dan was walking towards me; a look of concern on his face. "We're headin' back."

"Already?" I asked.

Dan pointed to the sky in response. I looked up and dark clouds had come in quickly. The wind had picked up and I hadn't even noticed. Off in the distance I heard a crack of thunder. "We're leaving in two minutes," He said like he was going to leave, but he didn't. He stood there like he was waiting for me. He probably thought Embry was trying to steal me away into the forest.

I turned to Embry; he was still sitting on the rocks. "I want to see you again." I said simply.

He nodded, "We will," he said back. His reply sent shivers down my spine. Dan grabbed my arm and started tugging me off towards the van.

"Dan, what are you doing?" I nearly screeched.

"That guys a creeper, Dixie." He said in a matter-of-factly way. I turned to look back at Embry but he was already gone.

"No he's not…" I defended out of instinct.

"You don't know him," He said, he had let go of my arm now but I still followed after him. The rain started to sprinkle down in big drops.

"And you do?" I shot back.

Dan clenched his jaw, "My brother, Mike, did. He's part of this Native American gang here on the reservation."

"A gang?" I thought aloud. That didn't sound like Embry. Well, I didn't really know Embry but I couldn't imagine him in a gang. It started raining harder, then, and we started sprinting for the van.

We all jumped in; we were soaking wet. The driver started the van quickly, turning on the windshield wipers. They squeaked in protest, I guess they got used a lot around here. I was sitting next to Stacy this time; she was looking at me with a grin on her face.

"What?" I asked, patting my hair self-consciously.

"I can't believe you just started making out with that Indian!" she giggled quietly, "Did you even get his name?"

"Yes," I defended, but that was all I said. There wasn't much of a way I could defend myself besides keeping quiet. My actions today had been very whorish and there wasn't much I could do to defend my reputation.

As we were pulling out of the reservation I heard a long wolf howl. Stacy shivered, "Gosh, I hate it when they howl. It gives me the creeps."

I shivered too, but not out of fear. It was out of anticipation. I felt like the howl was calling me. That's it, I've officially gone crazy. But, something deep inside me told me I was fine. I leaned my head against the seat with a sigh; longing to see the mysterious Native American named Embry again.

**The next chapter will be in Embry's POV more than likely **


	5. Stalker

**Thanks for all your comments! Hope you enjoy! We got back to Dixie's POV next chapter!**

Chapter 5 – Embry POV

My heart froze when that blonde kid called Dixie. She jumped, like she had been caught doing something bad. I wanted to get up right then and punch that kid in the face and steal Dixie away and never let her go. When they said they were leaving I almost did.

But she turned to me and said, "I want to see you again."

That short phrase made my heart flutter. I had no idea imprinting would feel like this. I had liked some girls in High School, but they were nothing compared to this. There was nothing in the world compared to this. Destiny had led us together.

"We will," I said in reply. I saw her shiver, great now I sound like some psychotic killer. The blonde kid grabbed her arm and I just about jumped up right then and tore his arm off. I stated to shake so I quick ran into the woods before I could explode in broad daylight.

The wind had picked up a lot, bringing in fresh scents off the sea. It whistled in my ears but I was still able to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"That guy's a creeper, Dixie." he said.

Dixie started defending me, and then the kid said I was in a gang. I chuckled to myself, but stopped when Dixie seemed to believe him. I'd have to change that. I should have gotten her number or something. How was I supposed to meet her again without seeming like a stalker? There wasn't a way.

Seth phased in then, _Hey, Embry_ he said in a sunny greeting_. Dude, you imprinted!_

I didn't say anything at first; I had my eyes and ears trained in on the van she was getting into. _Stalker!_ Seth laughed.

_Shut it, Seth_ I growled. He didn't understand, how could he understand? He hasn't imprinted.

_News flash, you only imprinted… what? Five minutes ago?_ Seth said, _What happened to being the bachelors, Embry?_

_I didn't plan this._ I muttered, watching Dixie dash into the van and drive away. My heart started racing in panic. My legs wanted to run after her, never let her go. I let out a long howl of frustration.

_Shut up, man!_ Seth laughed in frustration,_ C'mon and forget about her for a sec, we gotta go whip some vampires!_

Alice had seen the storm coming and we decided to play a game of werewolf versus vampire baseball. I had been excited for it this morning but now all I wanted to do was follow Dixie.

_Gosh, you're as bad as Jacob! C'mon!_ I could see through Seth's eyes that he had slowed down his pace. He was contemplating running back and getting me. _Or I could send my sister._ He added

_Leah's gonna be there?_ I asked, not really a complaint - just surprised. Leah had 'left the pack' after the 'battle' with the Volturi. She's taking classes at the University of Washington now and is trying to, and I quote, 'make the last couple months just some hellish dreams.'

_She's on summer break. She's coming down here for the first month._ Probably just out of courtesy to her mom.

I gave in and started galloping towards the clearing next to the waterfall where we met the Volturi just a few months ago. I felt a shimmer in the air and knew Collin and Brady phased in, now we were about even with the Cullens. We had asked Collin and Brady to come because… well, they were the most neutral. We acted like nothing was wrong between our packs anymore but there were still some tensions. It didn't help that our alphas couldn't be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes. Jared and Paul were Sam's second and third so their loyalties kept them with Sam, we didn't really know the newborns so Collin and Brady were called in.

When we made it to the clearing we were the last ones there. We phased back and greeted what looked like a gathering of friends in the middle of the field. They were flipping a coin to see who batted first. The sting of vampire stench was only a dull ache now. I was around them so much it barely affected me.

"Ha, yes! You're goin' down Eddy!" Jacob laughed, poking Edward in the chest. Edward laughed in return. Their relationship had gotten better over the last couple months since Jacob wasn't trying to steal Bella anymore. "We're batting first," Jake called to us. "Embry, what happened to your nose?"

I automatically touched it, it was crooked. "You probably broke it when you ran into the tree." Quil laughed.

"You ran into a tree?" Leah asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, never imprint while walking." I laughed, grabbing my nose in my hands and jerking it back into place. I flinched at the pain, but it soon was gone.

"You imprinted!" Jake exclaimed, he was passing out mitts to his team mates – we aren't made of concrete like the leeches. "And ran into a tree? To who?

Leah was almost on the floor laughing along with Collin and Brady. "This girl named Dixie, she just moved here from Kentucky."

"Did you tell her?" Jake prodded.

"I tried," I admitted, remembering how she insisted I didn't talk. My face flushed.

"What happened?" Jake was laughing now, I oughta punch him in the face.

"She wouldn't let me," I said simply with a shrug, "She kept kissing me."

"What?" A couple people asked, I couldn't tell which ones. All of the wolves and a couple vamps ha shocked looks on their faces.

"Hey, I thought we were gonna play baseball!" Emmett shouted from across the field. He had a slightly pouting look on his face.

"We'll talk about this later," Jake said, "Time to cream some leeches."

"Bring it, dog," Rosalie hissed, darting to first base.

All of the Cullens took their places, I saw Edward guide Bella over to right field – the place where nobody hit. I guessed her sports skills had gotten better since her transformation but she was probably still bad. I knew where I was hitting the ball.

Jake had the same idea; he made his way to the plate and pointed to right field with a grin on his face. Renesmee giggled from her spot in front of Esme as catcher. Bella's eyes got wide and she frantically looked to Emmett who was in center field. He gave her a thumbs up.

Jake hit the ball with a crack that sounded like thunder, the ball zoomed for right field. Bella kept her eyes on the ball until it was almost on top of her, she closed her eyes and stuck her hands in the air and miraculously caught the ball.

"What the hell?" Jake slid to a stop, dust flying. The Cullens laughed with amusement while Bella threw the ball back to Alice. She was grinning like crazy.

Us wolves were able to rack up two runs before getting three outs. The leeches did the same. We were pretty close the whole entire seven innings. In the end the Cullens won.

"Better luck next time," Carlisle said in his faint accent with a smile on his face.

"Whatever," Jake muttered, clearly upset about losing to his future in-laws.

"Looks like someone's a sore loser." Bella giggled, playfully shoving Jake's shoulder.

"We gotta run," Brady said, "thanks for the game." He and Collin darted into the woods and we soon felt the shimmer as they phased. I wondered if Sam was mad about them playing ball with us. But I wondered only for a second because then the imprint magic took over my mind.

"I gotta go to," I said quickly, hoping to run off before they could make a huge deal out of it.

"Stalker," Seth said in a cough. Leah laughed and I growled.

"Try not to get caught," Jake said with a worried look on his face, "No, don't try… just don't get caught." I nodded before running off.

I phased and started galloping. I had no idea where I was going, I was just following the pull. Once I reached Forks I could already smell her. It was sweet, like freshly cut grass and sunshine. I stuck to the woods, navigating around the now sleeping little town.

The pull and smell grew stronger when I made it to the other side of town. They both led me to a small house tucked back into the woods. I circled the house for a second, trying to figure out which window might be her's. I stayed in my wolf form so if I was spotted they wouldn't call the cops and have me arrested for trespassing.

"Embry," I heard a small voice say my name from the far right window of the second story. Did she see me? No, if she saw me she'd scream. She wouldn't know it was me. I heard it again, "Embry, don't…" The voice drifted off and I automatically stepped forward to hear more. The motion sensor lights flipped on. Shit.

I heard rustling inside, I had woken someone up. Dixie moved to her window, looking out over the back yard. I had moved back into the woods but when Dixie looked out the window her jaw dropped. She stood there for a second. I didn't move; her eyes were locked with mine. I felt the tug at my heart like I did back at the beach… right before she kissed me. After a moment she moved away from the window and everything was quiet.

I sat down with a sigh of relief. That had been really close. I had to tell her what I was quickly, she had to know. I laid down and rested my head on my paws, eyes staring up at the window on the second story, hoping to hear her whisper my name again.


	6. The Thunder Rolled

**2 comments?? I know you guys can do better than that. There's like 20 people subscribed to the story alerts! Please please please comment!! The comments are what keep me going!! Thanks to you two that commented on the last chapter, glad you guys liked it. Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 6 – Dixie's POV

I got home that night with my head in a whirr. The whole ride home I couldn't stop thinking of Embry and the howl that bid me farewell as we left the beach. I entered the house, drenched from the rain.

"How'd it go?" My dad asked, looking up from his newspaper.

Amazing, "Fine," I muttered quickly and escaped upstairs. I shut my door and the lights flickered. Thunder rolled in the distance. I sat down on my bed, head swirling with questions.

What did he mean when he said, 'we will?' Was he some kind of stalker, a creeper like Dan had said? Had I just made out with an ex-con?

But he couldn't be. I knew it, in my heart, that he was good. That he was safe, and… I needed him. But I didn't know him… so why would I need him?

My phone started ringing, making me jump. The thunder rolled again. I quickly grabbed it and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey,Dix," It was my brother.

"Rhett!" I exclaimed, the confusing questions left my head momentarily.

"How's Washington?" I sighed, "What?"

"It's… fine."

"Fine?" He asked, I could almost see his face twist in confusion. "C'mon, Dix, what's up?"

I ground my teeth, should I tell him about the mysterious man I met at the beach today? Wouldn't his brotherly protectiveness kick in and mess everything up? Despite that I blurted out, "I met a guy at the beach today when I was with some friends."

"Really?" He laughed, "So who is it?"

"His name's Embry, he's from the Indian reservation."

"He your age?"

"Ummm…" I didn't find out, and now that I thought about it he looked over 20. Not only did I make out with a guy I didn't know but I was also breaking the law. "He's like, 18 or so…"

"Dixie…"

"Hey, how's things back in Kentucky?" I quickly changed the subject.

He sighed, "I'm basically just working, not really working the social circuit."

I laughed, "I wish you were up here,"

"I don't," he said honestly, "I miss you guys but I'd never want to live up there. Too cold."

"It's actually kinda warm right now,"

"Enjoy it while you can, hey let me talk to mom or dad."

"Ok," I said, moving towards the door, "but don't tell them about Embry."

"Why not?"

"Please, Rhett," I begged, "I've kept secretes for you, can't you just keep this one for me?"

"Fine," he grumbled, "but please stay out of trouble. I don't want to see you on the evening news. Love you, sis."

I laughed, "Love ya," I handed the phone to my dad who was still in his chair. "It's Rhett,"

He took the phone and they started talking; I quickly went back upstairs.

***

That night I dreamt of Embry. _I was standing on the beach, the waves breaking against the rocky shore. The sun was low on the horizon, making the dancing waves look black and making the sky a fiery orange. Someone came behind me and wrapped their arms around my waist. I turned around and saw that handsome face staring down at me, "Embry,"_

_"I have to tell you something," he said, taking a step back and dropping his hold on my waist._

_"Embry don't…" I reached for him but he grabbed my wrists. _

_"Dixie…" he breathed and let go of my arms. Off in the distance a wolf howled and I jumped, gasping. _

_I looked towards the sound but didn't see anything. But when I looked back at Embry standing in his place was a grey wolf with two black spots on it's back. It twitched it's tail and flicked it's ears backwards then back towards me. I looked behind him and saw several other wolves, coming out of the woods behind him. The thunder rolled and a flash of lightning blinded me…_

I sat up straight in my bed, rubbing my eyes in shock. I saw the source of the lightning, the motion sensor light in the back yard had turned on. I figured it was probably a deer or a raccoon. I moved to the window and looked into the darkness.

In the dense forest I saw two large eyes glowing. They were looking straight at me. I froze; the eyes blinked and I sucked in a breath. I felt a calm warmness float over me like I felt back at the beach. Right before I kissed Embry.

I moved away from the window and back into bed. I couldn't tell what had been out there but whatever it was couldn't get in the house. I flipped my phone open to check the time and saw the picture of Ronny and me. Usually I would feel a flutter in my stomach, or I would feel like crying, but this time I felt nothing. I switched my background to one of the pre-saved images. It was a picture of an orange sun setting low over a sparkling beach.


	7. Freaky Stuff

**I give up, I guess no matter how much I beg I can't get you guys to post more comments. *sigh* oh well. Well, I hope you enjoy…**

Chapter 7

"Last day of summer before our junior year." Stacy pouted, taking a sip of her defiled coffee.

"At least its not your first time to Forks High." I laughed, warming my cold wet hands around my coffee. Stacy and I were sitting in the little coffee shop were we had first met, hanging out and enjoying the last day of summer before the law required us to attend hours of mindless classes and delete any tidbits of life we gained over the summer. Outside the rain was pouring, like always, it was the same storm that started the day before. Every once in a while the thunder would roll angrily like he had to keep reminding us he was there.

"True," She nodded. "But you're fitting in ok. Lisa is really the only one that doesn't like you." She leaned forward on her arms with an excited look on her face. "And you have the hottest guy in the school chasing after you."

I cocked my head to the side. At first I thought she was talking about Embry. But he was usually the first thing on my mind now a days so I dug deeper and realized she was talking about Dan. "Dans the hottest guy in the school?" I asked. "That's sad."

We both laughed, "C'mon now," She pressed, "you have to admit he's really cute."

I shook my head, "He's not my type."

"Oh that's right, you like the body building Indians."

I snorted, "That was nothing."

Her jaw dropped, "No, that was something. It's already spread through out half of Forks. Are you going to see him again or anything?"

I shrugged, "I didn't get his number or anything so I doubt it."

The bell rang signaling someone entering our dry little haven. I didn't turn around to look who it was but I felt a crawling feeling on the back of my neck. Stacy's eyes got wide, "Speak of the devil…"

I turned around and sure enough, Embry was walking towards the front counter. I wonder if the no shirts no shoes no service policy applied to the Natives because he was obviously breaking it. He was only wearing some tattered shorts like he had the day before. If he had seen me he sure didn't act like it. But what was he doing all the way up here?

"Go talk to him." Stacy giggled.

"Why?" I hissed.

"You know you want to." She was right, I did want to. But wouldn't that be kinda creepy? What do I even say? 'Hey, I made out with you yesterday and I dreamt about you last night. Wanna hang out?' No, that didn't sound creepy at all.

The lady at the counter gave Embry his coffee then. He grabbed it and started striding quickly towards the door like he hadn't even seen me. My heart started racing and before I could even think of what I was doing I said, "Hey,"

He stopped and looked in my direction. "Oh, hey." He replied, starting to walk towards us.

"Wanna join us?" I asked, motioning to the empty chair at our table.

"Sure," He grinned and my heart fluttered.

"Actually," Stacy said, standing up. "I was just about to head out. I've gotta do some running. But you two should stay and talk." Stacy grinned at me. What was she doing! I could have slapped her!

"I'm Embry by the way," Embry said, sticking out his free hand to shake.

Stacy took it, "I'm Stacy. Nice to meet you, but I gotta get going. I'm sure I'll see you around." Stacy looked back at me and discreetly winked then mouthed 'call me later.'

Embry sat down in Stacy's spot as she left the café. I happened to notice that his coffee was not defiled, that's a good sign. "So did you come all the way up here for coffee?" I asked.

Embry laughed, "No, this was just a short stop. I was doing some running around town."

"Oh," I replied dumbly; swirling my finger around the brim of my coffee cup.

Embry sighed then. I looked up at him, he was looking around anxiously and grinding his teeth. "Are you ok?" I asked.

He looked at me and his worried eyes softened. "I lied," He said, "I was actually looking for you."

Oh… wait… what? "You were?" I asked.

He put a cautioning hand out, "Don't worry, I'm not a stalker. I just needed to see you again." He glanced at the lady behind the counter. "I've been thinking about you."

"I have too," I said without thinking, "Thinking of you… not me." I corrected.

He smiled lightly. "I have to tell you something." His voice was soft and low, I doubted any one else besides me had heard it.

"What?" I asked, keeping my voice quiet. I had no idea why but it seemed like I should be secretive like him.

Embry ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Ok… have you ever heard of any of the Quileute legends?"

"No," I shook my head. "I hadn't even heard of them before I moved up here."

"Great…" he muttered. "Ok… so, there's a story about our tribe that says we descended from wolves."

I froze, "Wolves?" My mind flashed back to my dream last night. I could see the large wolves walking out of the woods towards me.

"Yeah," he eyed me warily. "And the story goes that when there's danger in the area the young men of our tribe will turn into wolves." I stopped breathing for a second. "It's true."

I didn't say anything at first. "What?" I asked making sure I heard him right.

He leaned forward so we were only a couple inches away from each other. I could feel his breath on my face. "I'm a shape-shifter. I turn into a wolf."

"You're joking…" I replied flatly. This guy had to be kidding, there was no such thing.

He grinned and shook his head, "I wish I was,"

I was speechless; I was definitely not expecting that. What was I even supposed to say to that? 'Oh, that's cool?' It was kinda cool but it was weird! I still wasn't even sure he was telling the truth. "I really don't believe you."

"You want me to show you?"

Did I? I mean, then I'd know for a fact if he was telling the truth. But… I don't know what I'd think if he turned into a wolf right in front of my eyes. "Yeah, show me." I dared.

"C'mon," He laughed, already getting up from the table. I brought my coffee with me; I don't know why. Maybe I could throw it in his eyes if he started after me.

We walked a little distance from the café. He walked really fast, like he was on a mission or something. Or maybe it was the fact that his legs were twice as long as mine. He abruptly stopped and grabbed my hand. It felt like an electric jolt shot up my arm. "This way," He looked both ways to make sure no one was watching us then pulled me into the woods. "Sorry, I can't do this where anyone can see."

I didn't say anything, just quickly followed after him as he tugged me deeper into the woods. He better know where he was going because I sure didn't. I couldn't even run away because I'd probably just run deeper into the woods. No one had seen me go in here with him… oh shit. What if this was where he took girls to rape them. Shit, shit, shit, what had I just done?

"This is far enough," I muttered in a shaky voice. I could still hear the road and could hopefully find my way back.

Embry looked back behind us, "Ok," he muttered. He looked flustered, like he had no idea why he was doing this. Maybe he had lied to me and really couldn't change into a wolf. "Stay here." He motion to the area I was standing before walking off and leaving me alone.

I wrapped my arms around myself to keep me warm. I had dropped my coffee somewhere, there goes using that as a weapon. The canopy of trees held most of the rain off of me but I still felt a couple drops. I felt a shimmer in the air, like a wave frequency had just passed over me. I looked to the area where Embry had disappeared and saw a huge grey wolf with two black spots on his back. "You weren't lying." I gasped. My heard started racing. It was the wolf from my dream.


	8. All that mattered

**Hope you enjoy! Thanks those of you that commented!**

Chapter 8

The wolf in front of me that was supposedly Embry dipped his head and flicked his tail. My breathing was ragged and my heart was pounding. This wasn't possible. The wolf backed into the brush and I felt the weird shimmer in the air. Embry walked out of the same brush with a wary look on his face. "Do you believe me now?"

I nodded weakly but couldn't believe this was happening. It was unreal. "That's… wow." Embry laughed. "I have to get out of here." I muttered quickly. This was just too weird.

"No, wait!" Embry shouted after me, but I tried my hardest to ignore him. It felt like it took all my strength to walk away from him. He didn't follow after me.

I walked home briskly. I had a horrible time thinking straight; I almost got hit by a car a couple times. My mind was swirling with thousands of questions. And despite all the weirdness… I wanted to go back to him.

I nearly forgot how to open the door when I made it home. Yeah, I was that freaked out. My mom walked out of the kitchen to greet me and almost dropped the plate in her hand.

"Dixie, what happened to you?" She gasped, "You're as white as a ghost! And why are there leaves in your hair?"

I reached up and grabbed one of the bigger ones and tugged it out of my hair… furiously trying to come up with something. My mind wouldn't let me. "I… uh… there was a dog."

My mom paused, cocking her head to the side. "A dog? Were you chased by a dog?"

"No…" I muttered, "I followed it." I continued to pull the leaves out of my hair.

"You followed a dog?" She repeated, "Why were you following a dog?"

I shrugged and started up the stairs to escape, "I don't know, mom. I really don't know."

***

Stacy ran up to me in the parking lot before my first day of school. "Why didn't you call me last night? And why do you look like hell?" We started walking for the buildings. We had the same class first period.

"Sorry," I muttered. "And I didn't get much sleep last night." Stacy stopped walking and stared at me. "No!" I quickly corrected, "Not that!"

"You scared the crap out of me," she laughed.

I didn't say anything. The whole night I debated what I was going to do about this whole Embry thing. The image of him walking out of the bushes as a wolf flashed through my mind a thousand times last night. It wasn't possible was what I kept telling myself. There was no such thing as shape-shifters. They were just something Hollywood made up. But I had seen it with my own eyes. I had seen him become a wolf and then change back into a human.

But why was he so straight forward? That wasn't the kind of thing that you went around telling anyone and everyone about. Why me? What was special about me? Was that why I was drawn to him? Was it the reason I dream about him and can never get him out of my mind?

And what about the rest of his tribe? Was his friend Quil I saw at the beach one, too? How many where there? He said yesterday that they turn into wolves when there is danger. What's the danger?

"Earth to Dixie!" Stacy was waving a hand in front of my face. Evidently I had completely spaced out.

"Sorry," I apologized again.

"You just about walked into that wall." She laughed. "That would have been the perfect way to start the school year."

I forced all thoughts out my head and laughed. "Yeah, that wouldn't have been good."

The school day dragged on. I lost count of how many times I explained who I was and where I was from. The whole day I felt the entire school's eyes on me. I was the new thing. I dressed better today. I left my belt buckle and boots at home. Yet, I just couldn't escape the already set redneck stereotype. I actually had someone come up to me and ask if I was 'the redneck.' Guess word spreads fast in this town.

I didn't really make any new friends the first day. I mostly hovered close to Stacy and Dan. They didn't seem to mind and I wasn't really in the social mood.

I was relieved to make it to the safety of my house after school was over. I had a ton of homework already but I couldn't focus on it. I decided to take a small walk in the woods around my house.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as I made my way along a well trod deer run. The rain had stopped momentarily but the thunder rolled in the distance. A couple dots of old rain water dripped off the trees, bouncing off my face.

Alone in the woods all the questions shot back up. I could have labeled them a plague they were so bad. "Why is this so confusing?" I whispered to myself; stopping to stare up at the canopy of multicolored leaves above me.

"It's called imprinting." A deep voice said behind me.

My heart nearly jumped out of my throat. I quickly spun around and pulled out the knife I had clipped to my belt before leaving the house. It was Embry. He looked alarmed and was staring at the knife in my hand with his hands up in surrender.

"Are you following me?" I squeaked. Dang, I couldn't get rid of this guy. It was bad enough he took up my entire mind; I didn't need him clouding up my entire life.

He looked back up at me; our eyes met. My breath caught and my heart fluttered. As I looked in his eyes I could almost see the animal inside of him. His eyes were dark and warm, like the eyes of a friendly dog. He was dressed in the same cut off shorts with no shoes or shirt. Was he crazy? It was freezing out here.

"Are you gonna put the knife away?" He chuckled; his hands were still up.

"You answer my question first." I growled while still pointing the knife at him.

"Yes I was following you." He said simply. "Now please put the knife away."

I brought my arm back down to my side, still holding the open knife in my hand. "Why are you following me?"

He grinned, "I already told you. It's called imprinting."

"Hu?" I asked; raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"I tried explaining yesterday," he admitted, "but you ran away."

"I'm sorry," I apologized sarcastically, "I just wasn't expecting you to really turn into a wolf."

Embry shrugged, taking a couple small steps towards me. I took a step back. He looked hurt. "Imprinting is something the shape-shifters do. It's like a love at first sight type of thing."

"I still don't get it."

Embry laughed, "None of us do. All I know is that I love you."

Did he really just say that? My heart was pounding so heard I thought it would burst right out of my chest. Embry was standing there with a goofy grin on his face, like he expected me to run into his arms at any moment and say I loved him too. And we'd live happily ever after. "Are you always this straight forward?"

Embry chuckled lightly again; he looked off to the side and got that look on his face. The look people describe as 'far away.' "I figured you needed an explanation for why you were all over me the first time we met."

I felt the heat rise in my face. "So… you imprinted on me?" He nodded. "Meaning we have magically fallen in love?" He nodded again. "And you're not weirded out by this?"

He shrugged then. "I've seen it happen to several others, I just haven't experienced it for myself."

"Others? How many of you are there?"

Embry's eyes rolled up like he was counting, "20 maybe… I can't really remember. We had a big explosion a couple months ago and I still can't keep them all straight. But there's only five… well four in my pack."

"Your pack?"

"Yeah, some of us split off from the main pack. Personal reasons."

"Oh…" Was all I could say. Embry took a couple more steps towards me; this time I didn't move. Everything was still confusing but it was making more sense. I think my mind was just happy to have an explanation for all this even if it wasn't logical. Embry was right in front of me now like he was in the coffee shop when he told me he was a shape-shifter. His breath was sweet on my face. "Now what?" I whispered.

He didn't say anything at first. Then he snorted, "I don't know. I didn't think you'd stick around this long."

Everything inside me was screaming at me to close the gap between us. I wanted to run my hand through his hair, press his lips to mine, never let him go. "I don't want to leave." I whispered.

"I don't want you to leave, either." He whispered back while pushing some disheveled hair out of my face and leaning in. Our lips touched softly once. It wasn't as strong and wild as our first kiss but it felt just as passionate. He leaned his forehead against mine. "Why are we whispering?" He breathed.

I paused then let out a small breathy giggle, "I don't know." He grinned softly and pressed his lips back against mine. All the questions seemed to answer themselves. They didn't matter anymore. Embry was all that mattered.


	9. Just a Little Jumpy

**So I found out that I'm gonna be working 8-5 for four to five days a week and I also have to work my dogs and my horse so I'm not going to be as consistent with getting the chapters up. I'm really sorry and I'll try my best! Hope you enjoy, and remember to comment!**

Chapter 9

But in Forks nothing is perfect. The sky cut loose then and started to pour buckets on us, quickly plastering our hair to our faces. "C'mon," I said over the roar of the rain. Lightning flashed in the sky above us and thunder cracked loudly. It seemed to shake the forest around us like someone up there was mad at us. I grabbed is hand, tried to ignore the zap that ran up my arm, and tugged him for the house.

"Are you sure it's ok?" He said, referring to my parents seeing me come out of the woods with a strange man.

"They aren't home." I replied. Embry quickened his pace to match mine. It wasn't as if he made an effort of it though. I was pretty sure he could quickly out run me and run for a while without breathing heavy. That was probably a wolf thing.

The security lights flashed on as we entered my backyard. We went in through the back door that led into our garage. "Ugh," I muttered; grabbing a shop rag from the box on the work table and starting to dry my arms and face. "I'm never going to get used to the rain." I looked up at Embry; he was dripping all over the place. His sloppy hair cut was plastered to his face and his jeans were darkened from the downpour. "Aren't you gonna shake or something?" I kidded.

"Ha ha." He laughed sarcastically. He leaned over and shook his wet hair in my face then, spraying me.

"Hey!" I squealed in protest. I quickly grabbed a shop rag and handed it to him.

"You wanted me to shake," he laughed and accepted the rag. "So I did."

"Remind me to not be so literal next time." I muttered; opening the door that lead into the house. Sure enough, my parents weren't home yet. They would be soon, though. I glanced back at Embry. He was shutting the door and I couldn't help but notice how smooth his motions were. Everything seemed effortless; like he was never trying hard at anything. The couple seconds I watched him I began to believe that he really was a wolf.

"How long have you been a shape-shifter?" I asked, bringing him into the living room. We sat down on the couch. He sat close to me but far enough to respect the fact that we've only known each other for three days. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees.

"Almost a year I think." He said. "Maybe eight months? I'm not sure."

"But not your whole life…" I stated.

"No," He shook his head, "No this doesn't happen till you mature. Depending on the amount of youth in the tribe at the time some kids as young as 11 might change, though."

"What triggers the change?" I asked and Embry sighed. "You said you changed when there was danger?"

"Yeah," He said. He acted like he didn't want to tell me. Was it really that bad? "We change when vampires move into the area."

"Vampires?" I repeated, making sure I heard him right. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as I am about the fact that I can change into a wolf." He looked me in the eye with his dark animal like eyes. I shivered.

"Are there vampires in the area?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah, for now." He said. "They don't eat humans, though. We have an alliance with them. They'll be moving on soon." He said the last part like he was sad about it.

"Isn't it a good thing they're moving? Even if they don't eat humans?"

Embry's mouth twisted, "Not when it comes to the Cullens. About a year ago the Chief of Police's daughter moved here from Pheonix. She fell in love with one of the Cullens. They had a kid, while she was still human but she's a vampire now."

"Wait," I inturupted, "They had a kid? Really?"

"Yeah, I'm serious," He laughed. "I haven't lied to you yet. Well my alpha, my friend Jacob, imprinted on their daughter. So if the Cullens leave, Jake will probably leave."

"But he's your alpha, doesn't he have, like, liability or something?"

"If only," Embry sighed, "Jake didn't want to be alpha. He was kinda born into it. It's a long story but the jist of it is, he was born to be an alpha so eventually he broke off from the pack and some of us followed him."

"That's how you formed the two packs." I stated.

"Hey, should your parents know I'm here?" He asked.

"Why?"

"'Cause someone just pulled into your drive way."

"Do you have super hearing or something?" I asked, I stood up to look out the window. Sure enough, my mom was getting out of the car.

"Comes with being a wolf. Should I sneak out the back?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, motioning for the door.

A part of me wanted Embry to stay. I wanted to share the joy I had suddenly found in him with my family. But the other part of me knew that them walking in to find a strange man in their living room was not the way to introduce him. "Yeah, you should go."

He hesitated; I didn't want him to leave and I knew he didn't want to leave. "I won't be far." He said lowly. He touched my cheek with the back of his feverish hand before darting out the back door.

I was standing in the middle of the living room looking at the door Embry had escaped through when my mom walked in. "Dixie, what are you doing?"

I turned to look at her. She was staring at me with a confused look on her face. "I was… um… I thought I heard something."

"Outside? Is there something in our backyard?" My mom started walking for the back door and Embry's words fluttered through my mind – _I won't be far._

Shit.

"No," I quickly moved in front of my mom, blocking her way to the back door. "In the front yard. It was probably just you."

My mom stared at me for a moment. "You've seemed really jumpy lately, Dixie." She muttered as she moved past me to start working in the kitchen.

Maybe because I recently found my 'soul mate'… in all his wolfy glory. "Sorry," was all I said.

"How was school?" She asked as she started getting dinner together. "Are you fitting in well?"

"School was fine," I muttered. My mind was elsewhere. It was back in the woods, Embry pressing himself against me, the heat of his body….

"Dixie!" My mom had turned all the way around.

"What?" I almost whined.

"Are you sure you're ok? It seems like I've been talking to a robot lately." She moved forward and placed her hand against my cheek where Embry had touched it. "You're a little warm."

I swatted her hand away. "I'm fine mom." I pivoted away before she could come up with a rebuttal and went to the seclusion of my room. But the more secluded I was the more my mind wandered. My mind took me back to the beach. The rain was pouring down, thunder rolled, and lightning crashed but we didn't seem to care. I ran a hand over the side of my face. This was getting out of hand. That's what the logical side of me said, anyway. The rest of me didn't seem to care.


	10. Howls of Jubilee

**Sorry, its another fluffy chapter but it was necessary. It will be more important later. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 10

I didn't head downstairs till I started to smell dinner. I figured I should be down there and act normal even though everything wasn't normal. I skipped lightly down the stairs; focusing on keeping my thoughts off a certain boy who's wolfy presence had taken over mind. I could hear my parents talking lightly in the kitchen so I slowed and listened.

"She seems to still be taking this hard. I thought she made some friends?" That was my mom.

"We just need to wait it out. She'll be fine." My dad's deep voice said in return.

"But you should have seen how out of it she was today. It was like her body was here but soul was somewhere else." I bit my lip in a silent curse. I'd have to work harder on keeping my mind with my body. I didn't need my parents getting overly concerned and have them start snooping around my life.

"Let's just give her time, sweetheart." That's when I started to clomp noisily down the stairs. I didn't like being around my parents when they started getting all gushy.

"Hey Dix," my dad said in greeting. My mom got up from the table and continued to work on dinner. My dad had the 'no of course we weren't talking about you' smile on his face.

"Hey Dad," I muttered in return. I moved to the dishwasher and pulled out some clean dishes and utensils for dinner.

"How was school?" He asked, picking up the paper. "You likin' it so far?"

"Yeah, everyone is nice." I said, hoping that would stop their unnecessary concern. My dad just nodded.

When we finished dinner it was still somewhat light outside. "I'm gonna go for a quick walk." I said, grabbing my coat.

"Don't stay out too long." My mom warned.

I strode out the back door and across the yard to where the deer trail started. I moved the branches out of the way and walked briskly away from the house. Once I figured I was far enough away I stopped and looked around. "Embry?" I asked. I felt stupid, like I was calling for my fairy-god-mother or my imaginary friend. But he had said that he wouldn't be far. "Embry, are you there?"

"Yeah." His deep voice was right behind me and I almost screamed. I whirled around to see him standing there was an amused look on his face.

"Quit scaring the shit out of me!" I hissed.

Embry chuckled, "You should stop coming out in the woods. I didn't think you'd step foot out here once I told you everything."

I actually hadn't really thought about it. Now that I did I realized how right he was. There were vampires in the area and if there was one family there was bound to be more. "I was looking for you." I defended.

His lips rose in a half smile. "Thanks, but please stay out of the woods." I nodded meekly. Embry sat down at the base of a tree and motioned for me to join him.

I moved and sat down next to him. I figured the forest floor would be wet but it was surprisingly dry. Embry leaned his head back against the tree, closed his eyes and sighed when our shoulders touched. I studied his face again. His nose didn't seem crooked anymore but all his features were the same. "Embry, how old are you?" I asked. I had actually been wondering for a while, ever since Rhett had asked. He looked around 25.

"I'm sixteen..." He muttered and opened his eyes to look down at me. "technically."

"Technically?" I asked.

"Technically I've stopped aging. Frozen at sixteen."

"So you're going to be sixteen forever?" I wondered out loud. He would be stuck at sixteen and I'd keep ageing. What would people think when I'm fifty and they find me kissing a man who looked 20. I shuddered involuntarily.

"Well I'll start aging when I give up being a wolf." He said, taking up my hand to stop the shuddering. I sighed at his touch. "If I stop phasing for a long time then I'll lose the ability to phase and start aging again. That's what one of my pack members is trying to do but when you're still somewhat young its hard. If we get too upset we can phase without thinking."

"Wow," I said dumbly, "You're that unstable?"

"Some of us. Others have either had more time to practice or have better bloodlines." He had a faraway look on his face.

"What about you? Do you have good bloodlines?" I teased, nudging his arm with my elbow. He still had my hand in his and when I asked him about his bloodlines I felt him stiffen.

He let out a small laugh, "I don't really know who my father is. My mom moved here from the Makaw reservation already pregnant but since I'm a wolf my dad has to be someone from La Push. I'm half brothers with one of my pack members but I don't know which one."

"I'm sorry," I applogized softly. He looked… torn up. His face told me he didn't like being possible turmoil for his pack members. All of them were probably wondering who's dad wasn't loyal.

He shrugged it off, "It's fine. Don't worry about it." We sat there in silence for a while. He held my hand in his and stroked it absentmindedly with his thumb. Our shoulders leaned against each other. The sun was getting lower and the beams of sunlight that squeezed their way through the dense forest were getting thinner. I should headed back but I didn't want to leave.

Embry broke the tranquility of the evening. "You want to go meet my pack tomorrow?" He glanced at me with an expectant look.

Did I want to meet his wolf pack? Embry would protect me of course but it still seemed a little… weird. The idea of voluntarily going to hang out with some wolves sounded wrong. But those warning thoughts were only brief. "Sure." I replied.

His eyes lit up like fireworks, "Great!" He stood up and pulled me with him. "You should be getting home, it's late."

I nodded, "Yeah probably." I dusted the dirt off my pants but didn't make any motion to move. I didn't want to leave and the look in his eyes told me he wanted me to stay. Embry saw I wasn't leaving under my own will power so he took my hand and started leading me back to the house. "Embry, we can't let them see you yet." I hissed.

"They won't see me." He said confidently. He led me to the edge and lightly kissed my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The words, "I love you," escaped me without a thought. After I said it I clenched my jaw and cursed myself. I couldn't believe I had just said that. I walked out of the woods and across the backyard without looking back. I didn't stop till I reached my room where I sat myself down on my bed and scolded myself for acting irrationally.

I felt the weird shimmer in the air and knew that Embry was now running around as a wolf. The idea had startled me before but it seemed almost normal already. I heard a howl off in the distance but it didn't sound mournful and sad like the last one I had heard. This one sounded… excited. My heart fluttered and I closed my eyes to listen to the jubilant howl dance on the air waves and surround me with serenity.


	11. Mythical Overload

**Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the comments! I would have written more but its late. I probably won't have the next chapter up till Monday or Tuesday, sorry!**

Chapter 11

The next day of school was much like the first except there was less staring. People were starting to get used to me and were seeing past the redneck image Lisa had placed in all of their minds. I was happy to be making some new friends but of course I had other things on my mind.

During lunch I was sitting with Dan, Stacy, and some of the other people I have befriended over the past couple days. I wasn't all that hungry so I just played with the cap of my water bottle while everyone conversed around me.

"You sure are quiet today, Dixie." Dan said between mouthfuls.

I shrugged in response. "Just a lot on my mind." That was truthful actually. The impending visit between me and the pack was heavy on my mind. It wasn't that I was scared, really… ok maybe a little. But I was just nervous. What if they didn't like me?

"Does this have anything to do with that Indian?" Stacy teased, hiding her smile behind her pop can. I rolled my eyes and kicked her under the table.

Dan seemed to have stiffened, "Did you ever see him again?"

"Yeah, actually." I said, "We ran into each other at the café and we're meeting each other tonight."

No one continued the conversation. Everyone just stared at their food and another girl, Lindsey, started a conversation about Mr. Banner giving us a shit load of homework. I glanced at Stacy and she mouthed 'later' to me.

So later, after lunch to be exact, I met up with Stacy. She bit her lip when she saw me. "What did you want to talk to me about, Stacy?" I asked.

"So, if there were rumors going around the school would you want me to tell you?" She asked timidly.

"What kind of rumors?" I asked, "You mean the redneck ones?"

"No there's some rumors about you and Embry."

I was surprised but yet I kinda wasn't. I mean, half the group I was with saw me making out with him at the beach. Something was bound to start. "What are they?" I pressed.

"There's one that says you're only into older men and you're parents took you up here to get you away from your 40 year old boyfriend." She said quickly.

I let out a snort, "Wow, you guys are creative."

"That's why Dan asked if you've seen Embry again. He was telling people that it was a onetime thing and you just proved him wrong. I'm sure word is spreading around school like wildfire."

I let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through my hair. "I guess there isn't really anything I can do is there? Just deal with it, I guess."

"How old is Embry?" She asked, there was a look of concern on her face.

"You don't believe the rumors do you?" I hissed, "I've never had a boyfriend before I came here and I prefer men my own age, thank you very much. Embry's 17."

"He doesn't look 17, Dixie." She whispered. I couldn't believe her! Did she really believe the rumors? She knew who started them!

"Whatever, Stacy." I shook my head and started to walk for my next class.

"Wait!" She ran after me, "I didn't say I believed the rumors. I'm just concerned. Embry's… scary looking." She said the last part quietly like he might jump out and attack her at the mention of his name.

"You don't need to worry, Embry's harmless." I comforted her. I knew he wasn't dangerous and he would protect me from his pack if anything happened but I couldn't help the worry that ate away at my stomach.

***

When Embry came for me after school he decided he needed to meet my parents. "It's the proper thing to do." he smiled as he walked me back up the sidewalk. My plan was I would tell my parents I was going out with a friend then rush out the door but Embry thought otherwise.

My dad was definitely surprised to see Embry… with his arm around me. I was actually amazed that he didn't go right then and get his gun. Rhett would have. "Dad," I started cautiously, "This is Embry."

"It's nice to meet you." Embry stuck out his hand politely and shook my dad's. My dad eyed him suspiciously.

"Dixie, is this your boyfriend?"

"Dad," I hissed.

"Boyfriend?" My mom appeared in the doorway and gasped when she looked up at Embry.

"Hi," Embry smiled nervously. "I met Dixie when she came down to the beach. We're having a bonfire tonight and thought she'd like to come."

"That sounds nice, hope you two have fun." My mom smiled at me and nudged my disgruntled looking Dad.

"Not too late," He started pointedly at Embry then gave me the 'we're gonna talk later' look.

"I'll have her back by ten." Embry stated, starting to guide me back towards the car.

I waved a goodbye and then said, "Ten? Why so early?"

"You have school tomorrow." He grinned, opening the passenger door for me.

"And you don't?"

Embry shrugged and got in the driver's seat of his beat up little Ford Sedan, "I dropped out. It's kinda hard to study when you have to do patrols." Embry looked over at me and laughed at my cross face. "C'mon, I'm trying to hit it good with your folks."

"Let's go." I sighed a laugh and shook my head.

Embry backed the car out of the driveway and started heading towards the reservation. "Who alls gonna be there, tonight?" I asked, "Is it just me and your pack?"

"I didn't want it to be too uncomfortable for you so Jake's dad and my friend Seth's mom are going to be there. Both human." He pointed out. "Oh… and there's gonna be a couple vamps there."

"Vamps?" I repeated, making sure I heard him right. "There's going to be vampires there?"

"You'll be perfectly safe. I promise. I'll shred any leech that even looks at you with hunger." It sounded like a joke but his face was completely straight.

"My hero." I muttered, that made Embry laugh. "How many… vamps… are going to be there?"

"Just two and a half," He chuckled at an inside joke. "Bella, Edward, and Nessie – Jake's imprint. Jake wanted Nessie to come and Nessie isn't aloud out without an escort. Technically she's only half a year old but she grows really fast. You'll see what I'm talking about once we get there."

I felt like I had a mythical overload. Vamps, half vamps and shape-shifters all in one night. All we needed was Harry Potter and we'd be complete.


	12. Falling

**Hope you enjoy! Please remember to review! And thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter!**

Chapter 12

The leaves on the trees in La Push were vibrant yellows and oranges reminding me that summer was coming to a close. The strong breeze blew through the trees making a rustling sound reminding me of back home. Back home the wind was stronger since our land was so flat and open; there was little to slow it down. Sometimes it was so strong the fields of wheat would be almost lying flat. But the pang for home was somewhat dull now. I unconsciously glanced at Embry; it was somewhat comical how he barely fit inside his little Ford Sedan. Despite the cramped conditions he seemed calm and relaxed; almost excited. He felt my eyes on him so he turned and met my glance.

"Nervous," He asked, arching one eyebrow.

"No," I lied. He must have seen through it because he let out a low chuckle and grabbed my hand over the center counsel.

"It'll be fine."

"I know that," I said truthfully. "But I really can't help it, ya know?"

He kept his face pointed towards the road but his eyes looked back at me. "I understand. If you're really that uncomfortable with this…"

"No!" I exclaimed quickly, "No, I can do this."

"Are you sure? We're almost there." My heart started racing and I'm almost positive he could hear it.

"Yes I'm sure." I said, trying to sound convincing. He sighed but continued to drive. Over the tops of the trees I was able to see the small dusty wisps of smoke reaching for the sky. We rounded a bend and I saw a giant cliff jutting out over the dark waters. The bonfire was located close to the edge with a couple people in lawn chairs but most on the ground or logs in a circle around it.

Embry parked the car and helped me out of it. The breeze was cool and it surrounded me with the musky smell of smoke. Embry kept a hold on my hand as he guided me towards his friends.

There were only five people around the fire, two girls and three guys. Two of the guys I knew were wolves since they looked almost identical to Embry. I recognized one as Quil, his friend from the beach. He winked at me as we drew nearer. The other man was older with long silver hair that fell over his shoulders. As we got closer I realized he wasn't in a lawn chair but a wheel chair. The two woman had shorter hair, one was older with a weathered face and silver hair but the other was young and tough looking. She glanced at me with studious eyes.

"Hey guys," Embry greeted as we closed in. Anyone who wasn't looking before was now looking with all eyes on me. I mechanically cowered into Embry. "This is Dixie." They all either nodded or muttered a hello, then Embry introduced them all to me. The older man and woman were Sue Clearwater and Billy Black the mortals meant to soften this experience for me; the other three were members of Embry's pack - Leah, Seth and, of course, Quil.

"Jake and the Cullens are on their way." Seth stated. Embry guided me over to the group and we took our seats on some weathered looking logs. I was sitting next to Seth and he was next to Quil. Seth looked identical to Embry and Quil but with a closer look I saw that his features were more boyish. He had the same aged, 25 year old look but I could tell he was young. I wondered how young he really was.

"Speak of the devil," Leah muttered from her spot next to Sue.

"I heard that." A voice growled from the woods in front of us.

Leah's lips rose in a half smile and her face seemed to lighten, "You were supposed to."

Four people walked out of the woods then. One was… humongous. He was obviously a shape-shifter; he was probably over seven foot and was wide with muscles. Two people were walking beside him, a man and a woman. They were both gorgeous and had ghost white skin with golden colored eyes. That was Edward and Bella, the couple I've heard so much about. Perched on Jacob's shoulders was a girl who looked about five or six years old. Embry must have been lying, if that was Renesmee there was no way she was not even a year old. She had bouncy red curls and emerald green eyes. Her skin was pale like Edward and Bella's but it had a rosy tint to it.

"Ha ha," Jake muttered with a flat look on his face. Renesmee giggled from her perch on his shoulders.

"Hey Edward, Bella," Seth grinned and sat up straighter.

"Hello Seth," Edward said, then glanced at me.

"Hey, this is Dixie." Embry said almost proudly.

"Nice to finally meet you," Jake said, sticking out a hand for me to shake. I took his large hand and shook it lightly. His skin was just as feverish as Embry's. "You've all Embry's talked about for the past week."

Embry sent a glare at Jake who laughed with Renesmee echoing his laugh. Edward and Bella smiled at me but kept their distance – sitting on the other side of the fire. Edward leaned down and whispered something in Bella's ear but she didn't respond.

Jake sat down next to Billy and pulled his monkey off his back and placed her on his lap. "We were wondering when this would happen to Embry." Jake said as almost a random thought.

"'Cause Embry's just too sweet to not have imprinted on anyone." Leah said in a mocking manor that made me want to slap her. But I'd probably just break my hand in the process.

Shockingly, Embry growled and Jake and Quil laughed. I shivered at the guttural noise that came from Embry and noticed that Seth was scowling. I wondered what his problem was. "Oh c'mon Seth." Leah said, poking him in his side.

"You're not still sore from what we said earlier are you?" Jake asked, his voice sounded concerned but he had a joking look on his face. Embry let out a frustrated sigh next to me.

"Wouldn't you be?" Seth shot back then quickly glanced at Bella. She looked confused; she leaned forward to look past Edward at Jacob.

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" Embry asked, he placed an arm around my waist protectively. I looked over at Seth who was now shaking like he was cold.

He stood up with inhuman speed, eyes flaring. "Why not now?" He snapped, "Because your precious imprint is here?"

Jake spoke up like he was almost embarrassed, "Seth, cool it."

"What's going on?" Bella asked Jake. Jacob shook his head but Edward leaned down and whispered in her ear again.

That only seemed to make Seth even madder. His shivers turned into convulsions. After that everything seemed like a blur. I remember a tearing growling sound then a strong pressure on my waist and arm. Then the feeling of being dragged, then being lifted; then falling.

It wasn't until I was submerged under the water that I realized what had happened. I had fallen off the cliff. The waves were violent and cold; they crashed against me and pushed me out to the ocean. I was about to call for help when I saw a dark shape heading towards me. As it got closer I realized it was a grey wolf with two black spots – Embry. Embry was paddling hard towards me; in a matter of seconds he was at my side. I automatically grabbed his scruff and pulled myself close to him. His thick fur was warm against my chilled body. He smelled like… wet dog.

Embry fought hard against the waves that were desperately trying to push us away from the shore. But Embry was unbelievably strong. The waves would crash over us but Embry would keep paddling.

After what seemed like an eternity we finally reached the gritty shore. Embry walked out of the ocean with me still grasping his fur; stumbling and tripping behind him. My vision seemed cloudy and my throat hurt. I heard voices but they were muffled, like I was still under water. Warm hands pried my fingers loose of Embry's fur and set me down on the beach. The warm hands pounded on my back and I coughed up more seawater than anyone ought to have swallowed. Then Embry appeared in my line of view.

His hair hung in dripping strands around his face. His eyes were full of a panic worry as he took a hold of both my shoulders so that I was looking him straight on. "Dixie? Dixie, are you okay?"

I took a shaky breath and felt a sharp pain on my lungs. I wrapped my arms around my chest and Embry asked with a panicky voice, "Are you okay? What hurts?"

As I started coming to I realized Quil was also with us. He was behind me and was probably the warm hands that pulled me off of Embry. I began to regain my surrounding and felt not only a pain in my chest but on my upper arm. I looked at it; it was beat read. Embry cursed.

"Dixie I'm so sorry." He looked unbelievably tortured. His hands were shaking.

"What happened?" I breathed, my throat was hoarse and the movement of my lungs stung.

Embry ground his teeth, "Seth phased so I pulled you out of the way. But I tripped over something and we fell off the cliff. Dixie, what hurts?"

"My arm and my chest." I rasped. The movement made me cough which hurt even more.

"She might have broken a rib."Quil said behind me. Embry's face twisted with a panicky torture.

"Don't worry about me," I replied, feeling my cowgirl up attitude start to kick in. "I'm fine." I started to stand up, ignoring the pain in my chest and the spots in my vision.

"Dixie, you're hurt. Let me take you to the hospital." Embry said franticly, holding out a hand to help me up.

I took it and got up the rest of the way. My head felt light and dizzy but at least I was upright. "No hospitals," I muttered.

"Go get Sue." Embry said to Quil. "Dixie, you shouldn't stand up, you should be sitting down." He said it as if he just realized how stupid helping me up was.

But he didn't have to tell me twice. I got a sudden dizzy spell and fell down. Embry ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated way. Despite all the physical pain I was feeling it felt good to see just how much he cared for me.


	13. Broken Bones and Broken Hearts

**Sorry it took so long to post this and that it's a little short. I've just been way too busy lately. Hope you enjoy it, though! Thanks to everyone who commented!**

Chapter 13

I didn't really get a chance to talk to Sue Clearwater before I fell off the cliff. Now I found myself face to face with her while she asked me a bunch of questions about the pain I was feeling. Meanwhile, Embry stood off to the side looking extremely tormented. He'd start pacing then would stop; then start again.

"Calm down, Embry. I'm not going to die." I muttered jokingly as he paced like a wolf in a cage.

He looked at me for a second, our eyes locked. I suddenly wanted him, needed him. He must have felt it too because he closed his eyes for a second before coming and sitting down next to me; taking my hand in his warm one.

"I'm nearly positive you have a broken rib." Sue said, standing up and dusting her hands. "You come back to my house and I can tape you up so its less painful. I think you also might have a concussion from hitting the water too hard. I'll have to monitor you for a while to see how serious it is."

"That's fine," I agreed, "Just don't take me to the hospital."

"Well if its more serious I'll have to so they can check to see if you have internal bleeding. If this is about hiding this from your parents I highly doubt you'll be able to hide the broken ribs from them."

I had been caught. "I can try can't I?" Embry laughed at my determination.

Sue laughed lightly. "Yes you can try. But who's going to watch you to make sure your head injury doesn't worsen?"

She had a point. I guess I really didn't have a choice. "I'm so sorry, Dixie." Embry apologized for the hundredth time.

I glanced at him and raised my lips in a half grin, "I'm not the one who has to worry about getting shot."

Embry stared at me for a second, probably wondering if I was joking or not. I wouldn't put it past my dad.

I heard the rustle of sand behind us so I turned, hiding my grimace at the pain, to see Jacob walking toward us with a downcast face.

"Is Seth ok?" Sue asked; her eyes were full of concern.

"He'll be fine." Jacob mummbled and sat down on the other side of Embry. He looked over Embry at me. "How you holdin' up, cliff diver?"

I smiled, "I'm fine."

Jacob looked at me for a second then looked at Embry for more details. "Broken ribs and a concussion. Oh and a monster bruise from where I grabbed her arm." I looked at my arm and already saw it turning a weird shade of purple. That wasn't going to be fun to hide.

"What happened to Seth?" I asked, hoping to take the conversation off of me.

"He phased." Jacob said, Embry snickered at Jacob's bland answer.

"I knew that." I replied bitterly, "But why?"

Jacob sighed, "Seth's the last person to imprint in our pack besides his sis but she's retiring anyways. It's a little bit of jelousy and a little bit of something else." Jacob glanced at Sue; she had a tired and pained look on her face. "He's fallen in love with this girl, but she's not his imprint. He wants to tell her the secret but that's kinda against the rules. We told him he shouldn't and he should stay away from her because he could imprint and then what happens to the girl? The same thing happened to his sis, she was dating and practically engaged to the alpha of the other pack but once he phased he imprinted on her cousin. That's why she's bitter."

"Love sucks." I muttered in shock of what was happening to poor Seth.

Embry glanced at me and let out a laugh, "Sorry.' He apologized for the one hundred and oneth time. "Seth wasn't always moody like this. Actually, Seth was never moody. He rarely phased out of anger. That was the first time I've seen it happen." Jacob nodded in agreement.

"We need to get you taped up." Sue muttered quickly, putting a light hand on my shoulder. "Embry, will you drive her to my house?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Embry said, jumping to his feet swiftly. He offered me a hand and I took it, resisting a flinch at the pain and the dizziness. Once I was up I felt my body sway involuntarily. Embry grasped both my shoulders steadily with his hands. "You ok?"

"I can make it." I comforted Embry. He put an arm around my shoulders delicately and guided me to the car. When I was about to get in the car Embry stiffened. I looked up at his face and he was looking behind us. So I turned, painfully, and saw Seth running toward us with urgency.

"Wait," He called.

Embry started to shake a teeny bit so I placed a calming hand on his chest. He stopped shaking and I could feel his voice vibrate against my hand when he said, "What do you want Seth?" I could tell he was trying to hide the venom that desperately wanted to coat those words.

"Are you ok, Dixie? I'm so sorry that happened. What a way to be introduced to the pack, hu?" He let out a nervous chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck while keeping an eye on Embry.

"I'll be fine, Seth. Thanks," I replied sweetly, hoping he knew I didn't hold it against him. His face seemed to lighten.

"We have to get her taped up," Embry stated, starting to guide me back into the car. "We'll see you later." I couldn't see Embry's face but I had a feeling he was giving Seth the snake eye by the look on Seth's face. I saw him take a cautious step back.

"Ok, hope I see ya again, Dixie." He replied happily.

I waved a quick goodbye before Embry shut the door. When Embry slid in I muttered to him, "You were the one that tripped and dragged me off the cliff, ya know." Embry let out a frustrated sigh and I laughed.

"I hate hurting you, Dixie." He said softly; taking his eyes off the road to meet mine.

"I know you do," I grabbed Embry's hand and stroked it affectionately with my thumb. He shivered. It didn't seem to faze me that we had only met less than a week ago. I felt like I had known him forever. None of this felt wrong anymore. It felt perfect.


	14. Next Time?

**This chapter hates me and I hate it but I hope you enjoy anyways. Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter!**

Chapter 14

I've never seen houses on a reservation before. I've learned in school that the Native Americans have terrible living conditions but the Clearwater house didn't seem that bad. It was small but not too small. It was kinda cute. Embry brought me inside without knocking and into the kitchen where Sue was getting some first aid stuff together.

"How are you feeling now?" She asked, not taking her eyes off her work. "Are you still feeling a little dizzy?"

"Just a little bit," I admitted truthfully. "Its not as bad as it was before."

Sue nodded, "That's good then. Your concussion probably isn't terribly bad. Embry I know how hard its gonna be but you're going to have to leave for a second. The girl doesn't need you staring at her shirtless body while I tape her up."

The heat rose in both of our faces and I giggled at Embry's embarrassed grin. He squeezed my hand before leaving the room. I refused to let Sue cut my shirt off so we started the slow process of sliding the shirt delicately over my upper torso. It hurt like hell fire and for a second I wished I wasn't so stubborn but I really liked this shirt.

Once it was off Sue got to work taping tightly around the area where my ribs were broken. I gritted my teeth against the pain and Sue chuckled. "You don't have to be tough all the time."

"Its just the way I am." I replied.

She nodded thoughtfully, "My Leah is the same way. She's the only female shape-shifter and its her nature to prove she's just as tough as the guys."

"Leah's your daughter?" I asked, Embry hadn't told me that.

"Yes," She replied, pulling the tape a little snugger. "And Seth is my son."

"I'm so sorry what's happening to Seth." I apologized sincerely, my voice cracked as she pulled the tape a little tighter. I could hear Embry pacing in the other room. He let out a noise that sounded like a whine.

"It isn't your fault." She replied then took a step back. "That should do it. You stay here while I go get some dry clothes for you to put on."

In the other room I heard Embry let out a long sigh and slink down to the floor. I couldn't help but smile. His worrying was too cute.

Sue returned quickly with some old jeans and a ladies button down shirt. I was grateful for the button down shirt; it was a hell of a lot easier to get it on. The jeans were a little long but they'd do. Once I was fully clothed Embry quickly returned back to my side; taking a hold of my hand and kissing my temple.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked.

Truthfully, I wasn't. I was not looking forward to explaining all of this to my parents. Also, going home meant Embry would leave.

"Let me make a note for your parents first about what happened." Sue said quickly. Her hands fluttered momentarily as she searched for a pen but once she found one she started furiously writing. "We're just going to say you tripped on your own and fell off the cliff. No need to make Embry look like the bad guy." Sue said with a grin. She finished the note and handed it along with my soaked clothes to me. Embry took them from me and guided me for the door.

"Thanks Sue," He said over his shoulder.

"Yes, thank you so much." I echoed. She smiled and waved a little before turning back into the house.

"I really don't want to go home yet." I admitted once we got in the car. "How 'bout I meet your mom?"

"I'd love to take you to see her but I'd rather you met her when you weren't soaked and on the verge of catching pneumonia if I don't get you home."

"Did you know you're very dramatic?" I leaned back against the seat with a pout. My hair hung in a limp wet mess over my head.

Embry reached over and pushed some of the hair out of my eyes before looking over his shoulder to back out of the driveway and said, "Yes, I did know that."

The drive home was way too short. I could feel the note from Sue heavy, metaphorically speaking, in my pocket. My chest still hurt but the tape helped a little bit. It kind of restricted my breathing, though. As Embry and I headed up the walkway he reached an arm behind me like he wanted to wrap it around my waist but he hesitated. I smiled and grabbed his hand with mine.

"Why are you all wet?" Were the first words out of my dad's mouth when we walked in the door.

"It was just a little accident, dad." I muttered while pulling the note out of my pocket. "Don't lose your head."

His eyes gradually got wider as he read over the note. "You fell off a cliff?"

"You fell off a cliff?" My mom echoed from the other room. She quickly reached out and grabbed me in her arms; pulling me away from Embry.

"Into water," I finished for them, wincing at the pain from my mother's hasty hug.

"But you have a concussion and a broken rib?" My dad continued. My mom dropped her arms and apologized. "Why did you let her fall off the cliff?" My dad accused Embry.

"It was an accident dad." I defended, "It's not like he pushed me. He also dived in and saved me from drowning. Doesn't it say that in the note?"

"It does," My dad replied, still skeptical.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching her carefully." Embry apologized, "I shouldn't have even taken her to the cliff. That was my mistake."

My parents were clearly taken back by Embry's regret. "Well, you guys will just have to be more careful next time." My mom said.

"Next time? Who says there's a next time?" My dad thundered at my mom.

"We'll talk about it," My mom said softly to him, meaning she would get her way. She always does. "Thank you for saving Dixie and taking her home."

Embry seemed to relax a bit. "No problem." He looked at me, eyes filled with more care and love than I could ever imagine, and said, "I'll see you later, Dixie." The line didn't match the look in his eyes but I knew he was casual for the sake of my parent's decision. He flashed a quick smile before heading out the door; tugging my heart with him.


	15. Trouble

***is ashamed* I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I've been way too busy lately. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks everyone who commented on my last chapter!**

Chapter 15

The next morning was painful. It hurt every time I took a breath and my arm was throbbing. I almost didn't want to look at it, hoping there wouldn't be any huge bruise there. But it was there, black and in the unmistakable shape of a hand. At least it was cool enough to wear long sleeved shirts.

A normal person might have just skipped school. My parents even offered to let me stay home. But, I didn't want them making any more of a big deal out of this so I went anyways. My mom did call the school though and told them the story. She over dramatized it, too. The way she said it sounded like I had almost died.

I was surprised they actually let me go. The way my dad was talking it sounded like if I didn't choose to stay under my own free will he would tie me down and force me to stay home. I was glad I decided to go. Maybe they'll see how this isn't a big deal and not hold a grudge against Embry.

Speaking of which, he met me in my driveway that morning. "What are you doing here?" were the first words out of my mouth.

"Hello to you, too." he laughed then said lowly so my parents couldn't hear, "You are in no condition to go to school, let alone drive. I figured if you were smart enough to stay home I'd keep you company, but if you decided to be stubborn I'd be able to drive you so you don't pass out and have your car go into a ditch. "

"And burst into flames." I finished for him. "Oh, then when I'm crawling out I'll get struck by lightning and then a semi will run me over." I bumped his arm with my good side. "You are too dramatic, Embry."

"Yet, you know I am telling the truth." he replied while opening the passenger door for me. I slid in without objections. I'd already had my daily dose of stubbornness from the encounter with my parents.

"Whatever you say." was all I muttered back. I heard him chuckle as he shut my door.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I got out of Embry's car at school. This definitely would not help with the rumors. Embry didn't seem mind. He smiled and told me to call him if I needed to go home early before driving off. I was actually kinda surprised he didn't stay. I figured he'd be following me around, ready to catch me if I decided to pass out.

"Hey Dixie," Stacy greeted when she saw me before first period. She bumped into me as a gesture of hello but she bumped into my bad arm which made me flinch and become off balanced which then led to me bumping into the lockers; causing a spasm of pain to fill my chest. It nearly knocked the wind out of me. I clenched my jaw and bit back the cry that was already at my throat.

"Careful," I managed to squeak, "I bruised my arm yesterday."

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, "How'd you hurt your arm?"

"I don't really know," I lied, "It's one of those bruises that shows up and you never know how you got it." I hope I didn't sound like I was making stuff up. Stacy raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off.

"Yeah, I hate those mystery bruises." was her reply.

I never realized how often you bump into other people in the hallways. It didn't help that I had one wound on each side of my body. Every time someone would bump into me I either couldn't breath or my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

The only good part about this whole thing was that I got out of gym. I gave the note explaining my inability to participate to Coach Clapp. His brow furrowed as he made out the writing on the pink slip. Once he finished reading it he grunted and said, "Fell off a cliff, eh?"

"A cliff?" Stacy asked, "I thought you said you didn't know how you got the bruise."

"Bruise?" Coach Clapp muttered, "Says on here you have a broken rib."

I groaned internally as Stacy gasped. "A broken rib? What is he talking about?"

"I'll explain later," I mumbled.

"You still have to change into uniform." Coach Clapp stated, "That's required."

Of course it was. Now everyone will see my hand print bruise because I was stupid enough to cut the sleeves off my P.E. shirt. I closed my eyes for a second before marching off to the locker room.

"Dixie, talk to me!" Stacy exclaimed once we entered the locker room. "You fell off a cliff?"

Evidently it didn't faze Stacy that there were other girls in the locker room. They all turned to look at me. "Yes, Stacy. I fell off a cliff when I went to La Push yesterday with Embry." I started getting my P.E. stuff together in my locker room locker, trying to keep my eyes away from the other girls. They were all whispering around me.

"So that's how you got the bruise right?" She urged, "From falling off the cliff?"

"I guess so," I said, starting to work the buttons on my shirt. I had no idea how I'd get the gym uniform shirt over my head.

Stacy wasn't convinced but she started changing, anyways. Once I removed my shirt she gasped, drawing the attention of all the other girls around us. I didn't even want to look at their faces. I knew what she saw. She saw a huge bruise that wrapped around my upper arm like a hand. She probably was also staring at the bruising around the area where I broke my rib.

"Dixie…" She whispered.

"I'm fine," I spit back angrily. I wasn't angry at her, or Embry, or Lisa, or anyone in particular. I was angry at this whole mess. Why didn't things just work out the way they were supposed to? I slowly slid the shirt over my head; blinking back the tears that came from the pain and the anger.

"Did Embry do this to you?" Lisa asked from the other side of me.

"No," I answered.

"Then why does that bruise look like a hand?"

"It just happened when he pulled me out of the water. It was an accident."

"Doesn't look like an accident."

"Ya know what?" I snarled, turning to face her. Before I could say anymore there was a knock on the locker room door.

"Hurry up, ladies." Coach Clapp shouted.

The others seemed to drop the conversation and continued getting ready. I silently slipped on my gym shorts and walked out of the locker room with Stacy. She was incredibly silent with a grim look of worry covering her face.

"Don't worry about me, Stacy. Nothing bad is happening." She didn't answer me. We went our separate ways once we entered the gym – she went to her squad for warm-ups and I went to the bleachers. Coach Clapp was standing by me with his hands on his hips like he was someone important. He looked at me when I sat down and I saw his eyebrows rise. I glared at him and he looked away.

I tried to find a comfortable position on the hard plastic bleachers but couldn't find one. I settled for just sitting straight while watching my classmates dribble balls back and forth across the gym. Trouble was coming because of this. I just knew this wouldn't turn out well.

Embry picked me up after school to drive me home. I told him everything that happened and his face stayed expressionless. "I guess we'll just have to see how this turns out." He reached and grabbed my hand with his feverish one. "I'm sure everything will be fine." But his face said otherwise. Lines of worry creased his forehead. I wanted to smooth them back; make all this fear go away.

Embry gave me a light kiss on the cheek and told me everything would be fine once again before I got out of the car. I gave him an encouraged smile and made my way for the door.

My dad was just hanging up the phone when I walked in. My mom was leaning against the counter and chewing on her thumb nail. She only did that when she was upset. "What's wrong guys?" I asked.

My dad's face was hard and emotionless like a statue. He replied in a thick southern accent, "Le'me see yer arms."


	16. Numb

**Thanks for all your comments on the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this one!**

Chapter 16

A jolt of fear rushed through me. What were they going to do? Would they call the cops? Would they ban me from seeing Embry? The thought of never seeing Embry sent a pang like a stab through my heart. "Why?" I asked, trying to seem clueless.

"You're principal called." My dad said, he was still stiff but he had managed to get away with his southern accent. "Both your gym teacher and the school councilor said they had people tell them there was a large hand shaped bruise on your arms. Embry did this too you didn't he?"

"Dad!" I exclaimed.

He closed his eyes and urged, "Just show them to me, Dixie."

I bit my lip and silently dropped my back pack to the floor. I shrugged out of my coat, hiding the winces from the pain in my ribs, and rolled the sleeves back on both my arms. I rolled up the clean one first, then inched the other sleeve up to reveal the black welt wrapped around my arm. My mom gasped.

"Dixie…" She said in a choked whisper.

I glanced up at them, both of their eyes were wide in disbelief. My dad was trembling. "It's not what you think." I said.

"Then what is it?" My dad asked in a shaky voice. He clenched his fists at his side.

"It was an accident. He was pulling me out of the water."

"Dixie, that can't be an accident." He sighed, trying to remain calm. "No one is that strong. I've never seen a bruise that black and look how swollen it is!"

"He didn't do it on purpose!" I defended; my voice raising. "Just believe me!"

"We want to believe you," My mom stepped forward and put a hand on my dad's shoulder. "But Embry…" Her mouth pulled to the side in uncertainty, "Embry looks like the kind of person…"

"Mom!" I interrupted her, "Do you know how ridiculous you sound?"

"Don't talk to your mother like that." My dad snarled, taking a step towards me; out from under my mom's grip.

"Don't judge Embry!" I shot back, "You don't even know him! You've only met him once!"

"Any man that hurts you like that isn't going to ever win my approval." My dad had lost his cool; he took another step towards me. His face was red and he was towering over me.

"It was an accident!"

"No it wasn't!" My dad shouted back, "Dixie, don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying to you! Just believe me!" I didn't even realize I was crying until my voice cracked. Tears were running down my face.

"I don't want to you ever see that boy again, Dixie." My dad said through clenched teeth.

My heart froze and for a second I thought I was dying. My mind had gone blank, I felt numb, and I couldn't find any words to say. I swallowed hard; tasting bitterness in my mouth. I felt myself sway like I was going to fall over. "I can't do that." I replied in a hushed tone.

"Dixie," He had backed off a bit, "you're really lucky I don't call the police for this."

I closed my eyes, "Why don't you? It can't get much worse than this."

My mom said in a quiet voice, "You're principal… well, he said that there are a lot of rumors. He said people have been spreading rumors about you since you got there. If we called the police, well, in this small town, it would cause a lot of trouble. We won't call the police if you promise to never see that boy again."

"You liked Embry," I met my mom's eyes; her's were also full of tears. "When you met him, you liked him."

"I thought he would help you adjust, honey. But… this isn't adjusting."

I swallowed the bitterness and the tears again. "I love him, mom."

"Dixie…" I turned away from them and ran up the stairs. I knew what she was going to say. She'd say I was wrong. She thought I was too young to be in love. I was still their little girl.

I sank down on my bed and put my face in my hands. The numbness was gone but now I ached. I ached all over. The tears rushed silently. I couldn't stay away from Embry. That wasn't possible.

Yet, I had to. If they called the police, Embry might go to jail. Then we'd be separated by iron bars. I couldn't let that happen to him.

But the thing I hated the most was… I had no idea how to tell Embry.

***

It ended up I didn't have to tell Embry. My dad did. Embry came to pick me up in the morning like he did before and my dad went outside to 'have a chat' with him. I could hear their voices outside talking in fast angry tones. I reached for the door but my mom stopped me.

"Let them handle this, honey."

"Mom, I want to be out there." I tried pushing her out of my way.

"Just let them fight this out." She pleaded.

"I should be the one to tell Embry, anyways, mom!" I pushed harder and moved out the door before she could stop me. When I reached the driveway my dad was standing in the middle of it with his hands on his hips and Embry's car was speeding away.

"You didn't even let me say goodbye?" I whispered.

My dad looked at me over his shoulder, "I told you I never wanted you to see that boy again and I expect you to follow that."

I didn't answer him. I just got in my car and drove to school; fighting the tears the whole way.

***

I usually see Stacy before classes but she wasn't there. I didn't run into her till lunch. I sat down next to her at our usual table with Dan and some other people. I wasn't hungry so I just had a bottle of water. The numbness had come back over me. It still seemed unreal. I don't think it was fully sinking in that I'd never see Embry again. I kept thinking that I'd see him after school, we'd head to the beach and hang out with Quil and his friends, everything would be normal.

I sighed and crossed my right leg over my left under the table. "Are you ok?" Stacy asked hesitantly.

"My parents banned me from seeing Embry last night. The school called them; evidently someone told Clapp and the counselor about the fucking bruise on my arm." Dan choked on a bite of his sandwich. I never really cussed but it seemed like an appropriate adjective to throw in there.

"Who do you think it was?" A girl across from me, named Lindsey, asked.

"It was me." Stacy whispered.

"Stacy?" I turned my head to stare at her. "How could you?"

"I was worried," She said, still whispering, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Well," I said, standing up from the table, "It's too late for that."

I heard her call for me as I walked away but I didn't turn around. I just kept walking, down the hall then out the door. I didn't stop till I reached my car. I twisted the key in the ignition and gunned it to life. I twisted the volume on the radio as I put my car in drive so that the music was blaring. My car leapt forward as I laid my foot on the pedal. I sped out of the parking lot, driving my car towards La Push.


	17. How many idiots?

**Thanks to all who commented and as always – Enjoy!!**

Chapter 17

As I drove the tears started to fall. I thought Stacy was my best friend. She was the nicest person I've met here and we hit it off almost immediately. Why would she do something like that? She's only causing my pain.

I braked my car at a stop light and pounded my head on the steering wheel. I knew why she did it. She was worried. I should commend her but her actions have only caused Embry and me more pain. And I can't stand seeing Embry hurt.

I drove faster, leaving the outskirts of Forks and entering the reservation. I tried not to think of the consequences I would face for ditching school. They would be bad but now they'd be terrible since I was ditching to go see the man I was forbidden to see.

It wasn't until I was in the reservation that I realized I had no idea where he lived or how to find him. I could go to Sue's house but I couldn't remember how to get there either. I followed the road and eventually it led me to the beach. I parked the car and leaned my head against the head rest. My hands moved to my face to wipe away the salty tears. I had to find Embry.

I looked around. The beach was mostly vacant. There were a couple surfers in the distance but that was about it. I didn't recognize any of them. I opened my door and got out, welcoming the soft chilly breeze. I was starting to get used to Washington… as long as Embry was there.

I felt the funny feeling in the air, like I was passing through radio waves. I then heard laughing and saw two men walking out of the woods. They were identical to Embry's pack members but I was sure I hadn't seen them before. But if they were shape-shifters they couldn't be bad, right?

"Hey!" I yelled out, breaking into a trot towards them.

They paused and looked over their shoulders at me. The one glanced at the other who shrugged in return. "Are you ok?"

They were probably referring to the tears that streaked my face. I didn't want to think about how hellish I looked. "I'm looking for someone." I said, "Do you know Embry Call?"

They glanced at each other again. "Yeah, we know him?" The one said, "Why you looking for him?"

I glanced around. The surfers were far enough off they couldn't hear us even if they wanted to. "I'm his imprint." I said softly.

They were clearly taken aback by this. "You're Dixie?" The one asked.

I bit my lip and nodded. Why was this so surprising?

"What the hell happened to you?" The other one asked. The first one nudged the other in a 'what the hell' type of manor.

"It's a long story." I supplied, "I just need to find Embry."

"We haven't seen him in a couple days." one said.

"We aren't from his pack." said the other.

"I'm Collin by the way," the first one said.

"I'm Brady." The other smiled.

"So you can't help me find Embry?" I asked. I know I sounded rude but I was getting desperate. The numbness was starting to fade away into pain.

"We can help you," Collin said, "come with us." He motioned for me to follow him. I hesitated momentarily. I technically didn't know these men. But they were shape-shifters. They had to be good. I quickly stumbled after them, trying to keep up with their brisk pace.

They led me down a road to a small worn out house. It was smaller and in worse condition than Sue's but it was still kind of cute. "Is this Embry's house?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah," Brady replied simply.

Collin knocked on the door while I waited patiently. Well… tried to wait patiently. I found myself drumming my fingers on the porch rail while we waited for someone to answer the door.

A moment later the door was answered by a woman. She looked around 40, her long raven black hair was pulled away from her face in a pony tail and she had a kind smile. "Can I help you?" she asked. I suspected this was Embry's mom. As I studied her face I began to see Embry in her face.

"Embry around?" Collin asked.

Embry's mom snorted, "He never is. I'm guessing he's out with his friends. He never tells me where he is anymore." Her words were hinged with sadness. Did Embry not tell her he was a shape-shifter? Why would he do that?

"Ok, well, thanks for your help." Collin and Brady started walking away but I stayed with Embry's mom for a moment.

"He's ok, right?" She asked me, her eyes dark with concern. "He's not in trouble, right?"

I hoped he wasn't. "He's fine, don't worry." I smiled lightly at her before turning away.

"So much for that," Brady said with a frown. "We could try the Clearwater's."

I nodded absentmindedly. I couldn't get the look on Embry's mom's face out of my head. I couldn't imagine what it was like for her. "Does Embry's mom not know about the... ya know?"

"No, it's against the rules." Collin said almost stiffly.

"That doesn't seem fair." I replied, lengthening my strides to keep up with them.

Brady noticed and slowed his pace, "It's not fair, but it's the rules."

The walk wasn't a long one but it was long enough to make me start breathing harder, which in turn caused more pain. I couldn't get deep enough breaths to slow my breathing so was left panting like a greyhound. Collin and Brady thought I was going to pass out.

"I'll be fine." I replied, trying not to gasp.

"But, you're like, hyperventilating or something. Embry will kill us if you die." Brady turned to Collin and hissed, "Is she turning blue?"

I laughed, which was a mistake because it hurt like hell fire. Collin and Brady looked panic stricken which made me want to laugh even more. I had to turn away from them and think of sad things... like loosing Embry.

Sue was happy to see me and was able to direct us to Seth who was out on the back porch with his sister Leah. Seth and Leah were sitting across from each other on the back porch conversing when we walked up to them.

"Hey, Dixie! Are you feeling better?" Seth asked eagerly with a sparkle in his eyes.

I smiled, "I'm doing better, thanks Seth."

"You think you could help us?" Brady asked with a grin, "We're helping Dixie on her quest for Embry."

Leah let out a haughty laugh, "Are we playing how many idiots does it take to find Embry?"

Seth ignored her. "He…" Seth's eyes darted to me "had a bad morning. He was running the last time I've heard from him. I can call him." He turned and trotted out of sight. Moments later I felt that funny feeling in the air meaning Seth had phased. I shivered and Brady sucked in a breath.

"Sit down, Dixie." He said with concerned stiffness, "Try to keep yourself together till Embry gets here."

I bit my lip and tried not to laugh as I sat down on the step that was formerly occupied by Seth. Leah straightened a bit and scooted over. "Has she been falling apart on you?" She asked.

"Yeah," Collin complained, "On the way up here she started, like, hyperventilating and her face got all blue."

"My face did not get blue." I corrected.

"Could you see your face?" Brady laughed, "No, I didn't think so."

"I survived, ok?" I sighed. Leah raised one eyebrow curiously. Then my phone started ringing. I guess that would be expected since I did run off. I checked the screen, Stacy was calling me. I choose to ignore it.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Collin asked.

I smiled, "I don't really feel like it."

The funny feeling filled the air again and only moments later Seth reappeared out of the woods. "He's on his way."

"Is his mood a little better?" Leah muttered.

"A little, yeah." Seth replied.

I leaned my head against the railing and closed my eyes. I could see him in my mind, galloping full out towards me in wolf form. My knight in furry armor. Ha, I'm gonna have to remember that one.

"Ok, then, we're taking off." Collin said.

"Nice meeting you, Dixie." Brady said with Collin nodding before they turned and walked off. Their disappearance was soon followed by the distortion in the air. I guess I'd have to try to get used to that. It seemed like a pretty common occurrence around here.

"How long will it take Embry to get here?" I asked Seth.

"He wasn't far, a couple minutes or so."

I nodded and leaned my head back against the railing. My bruised arm was rubbing against the post so I resituated myself. "Are you ok?" Seth's wondered, "You're wincing."

I smiled, "It's just my arm."

The door opened behind me; Leah scooted out of the way so she wouldn't get hit. Sue stepped out, her face no longer bright and happy. "What's going on?" Seth asked, obviously picking up on the changes I saw.

"Charlie just called, Dixie's parents called the police. They think Embry kidnapped her. Charlie's on his way here."

"Who's Charlie?" I asked, "Can't I just call my parents and tell them I left on my own power? I haven't even seen Embry yet, for crying out loud!"

"Charlie is the chief of police and a friend of ours. He knows about the shape-shifters and I told him you came here by yourself but…" She bit her lip, "You're parents told them about the bruises and broken ribs. They want to press charges."


	18. Did you do this?

**Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter – hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 18

"They're pressing charges?" I repeated; feeling all the blood drain from my face. This couldn't be happening.

"But Charlie knows," Seth said, "he won't go along with this will he?"

"I hope not," Sue answered. "This is his job though; he can't dismiss something because he knows the people."

"But Charlie wouldn't arrest someone who he knows is innocent!" Seth's voice was getting more frantic. The word arrest hung in the air like dark smoke. Embry didn't do anything wrong. He was saving me. But now he may be going to jail because of it. The look on Seth's face made me wonder if he felt responsible for this. If he hadn't lost his cool none of this would have happened.

"We'll just find out when he gets here." Sue said; then turned to look at me. "It sounded like your parents were on the way here too."

"Great." I muttered, closing my eyes. I did not want to face the wrath that was ahead of me. But they already took Embry away from me, what more could they do?

Leah remained silent in this whole matter. Whether it was because she had nothing to say or because she didn't care was beyond me. But I couldn't imagine it was because she didn't care. From what I understood, Leah and Embry were in the same pack, which was practically a close knit family. Leah had to feel something. But if she did, she didn't voice her opinions.

"Embry's here." Seth said to no one in particular. Seconds later I felt the shimmer in the air and turned to see Embry trotting towards me.

"Embry," I sighed with relief. I got up as quickly as my body would let me and closed the distance.

He wrapped his arms gently around me, surrounding me with his warmth. "You're not supposed to be here, Dixie." He said.

I looked up at him, his eyes seemed almost impossible to read. "I had to see you." I replied, "I can't stay away from you."

He closed his eyes for a second then opened them to look at Seth. "Charlie's on his way?"

Seth nodded, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know I'm a wanted criminal." He said bitterly. I took his hand up in mine and squeezed it.

Seth paused for a moment, "He's almost here. Your parents are following him, Dixie."

Embry must have seen the confusion on my face because he laughed and said, "Seth is very good at hearing."

"Good to know," I half smiled.

"I never asked you how you're feeling." Embry realized out loud.

"I'm doing fine," I soothed, "Don't worry about me."

"Can't really help it." He said with a smile, although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. His face turned towards the road at the exact moment Seth and Leah's did. It was creepy and cool all at the same. Seconds later a shiny police cruiser rounded the bend followed by both my parents in my dad's truck. In that moment I wished I was invisible. I wished I could just disappear with Embry and leave all this behind. Too bad nothing goes the way I want it to.

"Morning," The officer nodded to us, shaking Seth and Embry's hands. Charlie looked like the kind of guy who could be your favorite uncle. He had kind eyes but his face was stern enough to be taken seriously.

"Hey, Charlie," Sue greeted.

"Dixie!" I heard my mom cry and I flinched. She came running up to me; grabbing me in a hug that pulled me away from Embry. "Are you ok?" She pulled away to look at my face.

"I'm fine mom." I muttered,

"That's right, everything's going to be ok now. You're safe."

"Safe?" I asked, "Why wasn't I safe before? I came here by myself mom. Embry just showed up two minutes ago."

"It's true," Sue said, "She's been here with us the whole time."

"I've already decided that this isn't a kidnapping." Charlie said, looking pointedly at my mom then at my dad. "The reason I came was because you suspect assault?"

"Yes," My dad said taking a step forward, "Show him what Embry did to you."

"Dad it was an accident, I told you that. There's no reason for this."

"Charlie, I was there," Seth said, "He was trying to get her out of harm's way." I realized he said harm's way instead of the 'the water' because Charlie knew the real story. He knew Seth lost his cool.

"Can I just see the bruises for myself?" Charlie asked me. I couldn't tell if he was on our side or not but the kind look in his eyes made me agree. I pulled my sleeve back to reveal the black finger bruises that rounded my arm. Embry sucked in a breath and I realized this was the first time he'd actually seen these.

Charlie's eyes flickered to Embry's face when he heard him suck in a breath. "Did you do this to this young lady?" He asked Embry.

My heart couldn't have any more than it did when I looked at Embry's face. He was torn up over this. But, despite it, he was able to say, "Yes I did. But like everyone has said, I was trying to get her out of harm."

"No one can make a bruise like that on accident, Sheriff." My dad said angrily.

Charlie looked at my dad, "These Quileute boys are stronger than most. It must be something in the water here." I heard Seth softly chuckle. Luckily my parents didn't notice.

"Is that really an excuse?" My dad asked. "He still injured my daughter."

"My daughter was there." Charlie said. For a second I was confused but then I remembered. Bella Cullen is Charlie's daughter. "I talked to her this morning after I received your call. She said the same thing, that it was an accident. I trust my daughter and the Clearwaters and I know Embry very well. Embry would never purposefully hurt someone."

"Chief Swan…" My dad started but Charlie put his hand up.

"I've made my decision, Mr. Wilson." He winked at me then said, "We'll see you guys later, I have to get going."

"You're just going to leave?" My dad was getting furious now.

"Yeah," Charlie laughed, "There's nothing wrong here."

I nearly sobbed with relief. I broke away from my mom's restraining hug and wrapped my arms around Embry. He placed his arms around me in return and I felt him kiss the top of my head. I heard Charlie shut the door and I didn't look up till I heard the car start. My parents were staring at each other speechless. My dad then looked at me and I knew this wasn't going to be good.

"This doesn't mean you ain't still banned, Dixie. Get your ass in the truck." Dang was he pissed. He rarely cussed.

I looked in Embry's eyes and squeezed his hand, hoping he knew that I would see him again soon. I didn't care what my parents said. I couldn't stay away from Embry.


	19. I'd Like That

**I probably won't have the next chapter up till the end of the weekend. I'm going camping, sorry! Hope you enjoy! And thanks to all who commented!**

Chapter 19

The ride home was absolutely silent except for the radio playing softly. I could barely hear it but I was afraid to ask for them to turn it up. It might start conversation. The silence was killing me. I had to know what they were thinking. What were they going to do? My dad's body posture never relaxed the whole ride home. My dad, being a lawyer, didn't like being proven wrong. I don't know if he even considered being wrong he was so set on this.

Once we entered the house I got the sudden courage to ask, "What are you going to do to me?"

My parents glanced at each other. "Just go upstairs," My dad said with restraint. "We need to talk about this."

I nodded softly and walked away; trotting slowly up the stairs. What more could they do to me really? They'd already taken away the thing I loved most. Nothing else would really affect me. Maybe they'd just be stricter, setting crazy curfews and junk like that.

I decided to take a hot shower to calm myself down a bit. The warm water flowed over my aching muscles and ribs; making them soften and relax. I could stay in there forever but didn't want to get yelled at for wasting water.

It was early but I decided to dress in my pajamas. I probably wasn't going out of the house again tonight and I was in the mood to be comfy. I pulled on a tank and my blue plaid pajama pants that said knights down the side – standing for my old school's mascot.

Once I was dressed, I padded barefoot down the hallway; trying to step softly so I wouldn't be heard. I walked to the edge of the stairs and slowed my breathing to listen. I could hear them muttering in the kitchen but couldn't make out any words. At least they weren't yelling, that was a good sign.

I sighed softly and crept back to my room. I pulled my blow dryer out and started working on drying my thick mass of hair. I swear I had the thickest hair in the world. If I didn't blow dry it, it would take at least three hours to dry… on a good day.

I tried to keep my mind off of Embry but it was hard. There wasn't anything in my life right now that didn't revolve around him. I ended up thinking of what my brother, Rhett, might be doing right now. But then that led to me wondering what Rhett would think of this situation. This was nuts. I was thinking about him way too much. Maybe I needed to spend a little more time with my new friends. An obsession like this probably isn't very healthy.

Yet, I knew that I didn't really have a choice. We were bound together by something beyond us. Just then I thought I felt a shimmer in the air, like someone phasing. "Now I know I'm going crazy." I muttered to myself, concealed by the noise of the blow dryer.

It took ten more minutes for me to finish blow drying my hair. It wasn't completely dry but it would do. I flipped the switch, turning the blow dryer off and heard a clicking sound. At first I thought my blow dryer was breaking, it had a hard life, but then I heard it again. The clicking sound was behind me. I turned around in time to see one of the decorative pebbles from our backyard fly at my window; making the mysterious clicking sound.

My heart started pounding as I walked towards the window. I slid it open silently and looked down. Embry was standing below me, with a big smile on his face and a hand full of pebbles.

"I thought you'd never turn the blow dryer off." He laughed quietly. He was shirtless, like he normally is. All he was wearing was a pair of gym shorts. The light breeze that slid it's way through the dense woods blew Embry's choppy hair.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed. "If my parents find you…"

"They won't find me." He grinned then tapped his ear. "Seth isn't the only one with awesome hearing."

I bit my lip, "I don't think I can escape. They'll see me if I try to get out either door."

"Then I'll come up there." He said simply.

"Right," I said sarcastically, "and just how are you going to manage that?"

"I'll jump." He said it as if it was nothing, it being jumping up to my second story window.

"Of course you will."

"You're humoring me." He grinned slyly. "Move out of the way."

"You've got to be kidding me."

He looked behind him and took a couple steps back before getting into a crouch. "You better move."

"Embry…"

He grinned and started running. I quickly moved out of the way. I saw his body jump up to the height of my window – his feet landing on my open window sill without a sound. "He actually did it." I whispered. I heard him chuckle as he slid feet first into my room.

"You doubted me didn't you?"

"Sorry, but I've never seen someone jump into a second story window."

He grinned again and brushed a piece of hair out of my face. "Anything to be with you."

I couldn't take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around him; pulling him closer to me. I felt him kiss the top of my head and sigh. "What did your parents say?"

"They haven't said anything yet." I muttered into his chest. I pulled my head back and looked at his softened eyes. "They're talking down stairs."

Embry paused for a second, "No they aren't. They're coming up the stairs."

"What?"

"Where can I hide?" Embry quickly glanced around my room and I realized what was going on.

I cursed under my breath, "Um…" My room was still half unpacked; there was no where that would fit him.

Seeing this, he silently kissed my forehead and slipped out the window and onto the roof. I quickly grabbed a book off my night stand and slid onto my bed in a natural position. I was flipping the book right side up when my mom walked in.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression but didn't say anything about it. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"I'd be doing even better if you guys would just drop this." I sulked.

"You know we're just doing what's best for you." She soothed, smoothing my hair down.

"No," I corrected, "you're doing what you _think _is best. But you're wrong."

She closed her eyes for a second. "It's make your own dinner night." She said flatly while getting off the bed.

"I'm not hungry." I muttered. I wasn't sure if she heard me though because she just continued walking out the door.

I sighed and laid back on my bed; closing my eyes. I wanted to cry this was so frustrating. I suddenly felt my bed shift and warm arms close around me. I opened my eyes to see Embry laying next to me with his arms around me. I wrapped my free arm back around him and closed my eyes again, inhaling his sweet aroma.

"Everything's going to be ok, Dixie." He comforted softly.

"You don't know that for sure."

"No," he agreed, "But you don't know for sure that everything's going to be bad."

I opened my eyes again so look into his. They were comforting, wrapping me in a warm blanket of ease. "When do you have to leave?" I wondered out loud.

He didn't respond at first. "I don't have to leave if you don't want me to."

I paused, but not for long. "I'd like that."


	20. Goodbye

**Thanks to everyone that commented. I hope you enjoy this chapter… well… I don't know about that. You'll see what I mean. :P**

Chapter 20

We talked long into the night. Our voices were hushed but being in such a close proximity it didn't matter. We talked about almost everything. He was exceptionally interested in my old life back in Kentucky. He asked about my school and my friends and my family back home. I asked him a couple questions about his family but he was more interested in mine.

We fell asleep there – him sprawled out on the bed and me cuddled into the contours of his body with my pajama pants rolled up because of the heat radiating off his body. That's also where I woke up. Despite the fact that we left the window open last night I was sweating. The early morning sunrise woke me before my alarm clock so I was able to nudge Embry awake before my parents came in.

I almost didn't want to wake him. He looked like an angel laying there - his hair askew and his mouth slightly open in a quiet snore. I smiled and ran my fingers down his jaw; feeling the growing stubble. "Embry," I whispered.

He stirred and opened his hazel eyes. "Mornin' sunshine," I greeted with a grin.

He smiled and yawned. "I haven't had that good of a night's sleep in months." He muttered sleepily while sitting up. "My pack has deprived me."

"Is your pack going to be mad that I stole you for the night?"

He snorted, "If they are they'll get over it. It's not like they haven't done it to me before."

"My parents will be waking up soon." I sullenly reminded.

"I should leave then." He stated with a straight face; his eyes never leaving mine. I very much wanted to kiss him at that moment and out thoughts must have been the same because before I knew it his lips were pressed to mine.

I trembled as I felt his lips against mine. Despite the night's sleep his lips were sweet. He ran a large hand through my tangled mess of hair. I sighed and I felt him smile against my lips.

"I love you, Dixie." He whispered.

I didn't say anything back. I only pressed myself closer to him; moving my lips urgently against his. He started pressing back but froze. I pulled back somberly to look at him.

"Your parents are awake." He reasoned.

They ruin everything.

"Can I come back tomorrow night?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

Like he thought I would say no, ha. "Of course," I responded, maybe a little too quickly.

He chuckled and ran his hand along the side of my face before turning and disappearing out my window. Seconds later I felt a shimmer in the air.

And Seconds after that my door opened. My mom peeked her head in, "You're up early." She said softly, "Did you leave your window open all night?"

"Yeah," I muttered, "I guess I forgot to close it."

"Mmm," she murmured, coming to sit on the edge of my bed. "You're father and I talked for a very long time last night trying to decide what we were going to do." Oh no. This was it. Did I want to know? But, how much more painful could it get really? "We don't like how corrupt the police department is here." She continued. "They let that man off just because he's friends with the chief of police!" She quietly exclaimed.

"Or Chief Swan knew Embry didn't do anything." I said.

She looked at me for a moment then continued, "This isn't a good place to raise you and I wish we would have known that before we moved here. But we called grandma and grandpa last night; they are willing to have you stay with them."

I froze, not even knowing what to say. I felt tears prick my tear ducts, "What?" I whispered.

"We're sending you back to Kentucky. Your father needs to work here a while longer before he can transfer back. I'll be staying with him and you'll be living with grandma and grandpa."

"What!" I repeated in a scream.

"It's for the best, sweetheart."

"No!" I stood up quickly. Fear and horror were rushing faster than wild horses through my veins. "You can't make me!"

"Dixie," She sighed calmly, "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I don't want to go!"

"I thought you didn't want to come here?"

"That was before…"

"You found trouble." She finished flatly.

"No," I tried to correct but she shook her head.

"We've already decided, Dixie. This place isn't safe for you. We're sending you back to La Grange tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I exclaimed.

"Yes,"

"But I just started school!"

"And it won't be hard to catch up at your old school." She was getting annoyed.

"Mom!"

"It's already decided, Dixie." She turned for the door. "You should probably start packing. You aren't going back to school."

"Can't I say goodbye to my friends?" My voice cracked and I realized the tears were running down my face.

She turned to look at me. She pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. She looked down the hallway and bit her lip before digging in her pocket and taking out the truck key. "You have two hours before I turn your father loose." She stared intently in my eyes and I knew what she was doing. She was letting me say goodbye to Embry.

I hugged her quickly and whispered thank you before grabbing the key from her and rushing out the door. Two hours didn't give me a lot of time and I didn't want to even think of my dad being unleashed in this 'lawless' town. Just imagine the Incredible Hulk with a shot gun and a southern accent.

I turned the windshield wipers on as I turned off our street. The rain had picked up along with my gloom. My breathing was ragged which hurt against my chest. What was I going to say to Embry?

I knew what Embry would say when I told him I was leaving. He'd say he'd just come with. But I couldn't let that happen. His mom needed him here; more than he knew. If my grandparents knew about all this that meant my whole family knew about Embry. Who knows what kind of horror stories my parents told them. If any of them caught Embry near me they wouldn't think twice before pulling a knife or a gun on him. He wouldn't be hurt physically, with him being indestructible and all, but his whole tribe would be hurt in the long run. They would know his secret and that was almost as dangerous as killing him.

My truck seemed to take a second wind on my way out of town. I was driving faster than I ever have. But I wasn't looking forward to getting there. I didn't want to face what lay ahead of me.

For a second I thought about just running away. I even turned my turn signal on to hit the exit ramp that led south to California. But I knew my dad would have the FBI all over Embry and I couldn't let that happen.

Thunder roared over the engine of my truck; giving the air an ere feeling. It reminded me of my first couple days here when it was storming nonstop. It was during that storm that I found out about Embry and realized I loved him. Now, during a similar storm, I would say goodbye to him for who knows how long. The thought sent a new set of tears streaming down my face.

When I entered La Push I drove to Embry's house by memory. It wasn't that hard to find. I wasn't sure if he would be there or not but it was the best place to start. I pulled the hood up on my jacket as I got out of the truck and marched for the door.

The door opened before I got to it. Embry stepped out with a confused look on his face. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

"I need to talk to you." I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Ok," He leaned against the door frame, "what about?"

"Do you want to take a quick walk with me?" I asked. I didn't want to say goodbye here. I don't know why, it just didn't seem right.

"Yeah, sure," He walked out the door and closed it behind him.

We started walking for the beach. I wanted to be a distance from his house but close enough that I could make a mad dash for the truck if I broke down. "So my parents decided what they're going to do." I said softly.

"What did they decide?"

I stopped walking, "They're sending me back to Kentucky."

He stopped walking, too and it seemed he also stopped breathing. But then the stiffness left him, "I'll go with you."

I had expected this and knew what to say but it still didn't seem enough. "Embry you need to stay here."

He froze again, "Why? Dixie," He touched my face; making this so much harder. "I don't want to be anywhere without you. Any where you go, I'm going."

"You need to stay here," I repeated. "Your mom needs you here. Your pack needs you here."

"You don't want me to come with you?" His voice was full of pain and it hurt to look at him.

I close my eyes for a second before shaking my head, "No, you need to stay here."

"Dixie…" He breathed and reached out for me again.

I shied away from his hand and the pain shot across his face. "We'll see each other again." I decided out loud. "But you need to stay here."

"I can't.."

"Goodbye Embry." I whispered; turning away before he could see the tears on my face.

"Dixie," I could feel him following after me. "Dixie, don't go. I love you."

I paused, _I love you, too_ I thought. But I couldn't say the words without my voice breaking. Instead, I just kept walking towards the truck. He didn't follow me.

I reached the sanctuary of my truck but knew I couldn't stop and cry just yet. I flung it into reverse and sped out of his driveway and out of La Push. All the while I had to listen to long mournful howls calling me back. I turned up the radio and pressed harder on the gas. I made it about five miles out of there before I had to pull over. The tears wouldn't stop. I wanted to run back to La Push, tell him I loved him, never let him go, we'd run away to Las Vegas and never come back. But, no matter how much I wanted to be with him, Embry couldn't live the life of a fugitive.

There was a soft knock on my passenger side door. I rubbed the tears from my eyes, expecting Embry but instead I saw Seth. He had a soft smile on his face as he opened my passenger door.

"Did Embry send you?" I asked with a choked voice.

"No," He answered, "Well… not exactly. I figured you'd be in no condition to drive home. Will you let me?"

I looked at the dash board clock. I was running late and needed to get home before my mom got worried and let my dad loose. I nodded sullenly and scooted over to the passenger side. He climbed in the driver's seat and grabbed the steering wheel; driving me back towards Forks.

He didn't say anything for a while. After we reached Forks he asked, "Why are you making Embry stay here? The real reason." His voice wasn't angry, just concerned.

"My family will kill him." I said through tears.

Seth didn't say anymore. I knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to say this was tearing Embry apart. Well it was tearing me apart, too. This was for the best.

Seth didn't say anymore until we reached my driveway. "I'm so sorry, Dixie, that I started all of this."

"Seth, don't be." I said, the tears still there but controlled for the moment.

"But I am. Please forgive me."

I smiled softly, "I forgive you, even if this isn't your fault. I'll miss you, Seth."

He smiled in return and opened his door, "Good luck, Dixie. I hope to see you again."

He disappeared into the woods and soon I felt a shimmer in the air. That might be the last one I would feel for a long time. I wiped the tears from my face and got out of the truck, braving my Embryless future. The thought sent another round of salty regretful tears.


	21. Forgetting

**Sorry it took so long to get you this chapter, I've been extremely busy. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for all the comments!**

Chapter 21

I never realized how many country songs were about love. Every other song was about loving, losing or cheating. Sure there was the occasional rowdy Saturday night honky-tonk stuff that would make me relax a little more on the drive back home but then right afterwards a song about how much the singer was in love or how bad they're hurting would come on and make me close to tears. I toughed it out for a long time, living on the rowdy songs, but once Garth Brooks started singing 'More Than a Memory' I had to turn it off.

My mom eyed me but didn't say anything. We didn't talk much during the ride. I basically just looked out the window at the rolling landscape flying by, every second taking me farther away from where I wanted to be.

Despite my attempts to shut it out of my mind, 'More Than a Memory' was already stuck. I could hear his soft voice singing, 'it's gonna take time but I'll forget.' That's all I was leaning on. Maybe if I stayed away long enough, kept myself busy, got back with my old friends… Ronny, then I'd forget – or maybe not care as much. It was only a week that I've known Embry; this shouldn't have such an impact on me. But those were only the first lines of the song. The rest went on to say how he tried but it was impossible to forget because she'd always be more than a memory. That's what I'm worried about.

My mom planned a 'hand off' in Colorado between her and my brother Rhett. I asked her why she didn't just fly me to Kentucky but I already knew the answer – they didn't trust me. All the hurt and sadness lifted from me momentarily when I saw my brother Rhett leaning up against his truck in the motel parking lot. We'd always been very close growing up, even though he's several years older than me. We looked a lot alike; we shared curly brown hair and green eyes that we both have no idea where we got them. My mom said they came from our great grandparents, but I we both secretly hoped we were adopted.

"Hey Dix," He grinned and gave me a gentle hug when I exited the car. Evidently he had heard. Come to think of it the whole town probably knew. School wasn't going to be much fun.

"Hey Rhett," I replied and hugged him back tightly.

After greeting my mom Rhett went to move my luggage from the truck to his. I watched as my life switched over. It seemed more official now. I was over the fence, but on the wrong side.

"Call me when you get home sweetheart." My mom said as she hugged me goodbye.

"Mhm." was my only response. I saw Mom and Rhett exchange a glance but I ignored them and started heading for the motel. Rhett quickly followed after me and I heard mom drive away.

Rhett put an arm around my shoulders and said, "So, how you feeling?"

"You want to know how I feel?" I asked bitterly.

"Well, yeah…" I looked at Rhett's confused face and smiled a little.

"I'd be a lot better if I was back in Forks." I muttered as an answer.

He sighed, "I don't know a hell of a lot about this situation" he admitted, "And I have a feeling that this may be an overreaction," I nodded eagerly but he ignored me, "But just give it a while back in La Grange. We missed you. Everyone's excited to have you back."

"I missed you guys, too." I replied blandly. It's a little true, I did miss them. But I'd give them all up for Embry. I clenched my jaw at the thought. I wasn't doing very well on the whole forgetting thing.

Rhett and I spent the night in a hotel before starting out on our 17 hour drive to La Grange. Rhett turned the radio on and I tried hard to not let it affect me. I half listened to the notes going up and down and half watched the scenery turn into thousands of acres of farmland. It was almost September and the fields were in the middle of harvest. It felt so… open. I had just gotten used to the little rainy box called Forks. We passed a truck hauling a wagon overloaded with hay. Rhett lifted his hand in a wave even though he didn't know the driver. The driver waved back. It was then I realized I really did miss this.

We didn't pull into La Grange until ten at night. We drove down main street; avoiding the train tracks in the middle of the road. I think La Grange is the only town to have a train pass through town on a main road – several times a day.

Grandma and Grandpa's little house was on the other side of town. It was set back in a corn field that was already harvested. The land was open and bare except for the dead stumps that flecked the field. They both came out of the house to greet us.

Grandma was short and plump; the perfect image of Old Mother Hubbard. I couldn't see her going to the cupboard to get any dog a bone though, she hates dogs. My grandpa loves dogs though, so there's always at least one running around against grandma's will. Grandpa is tall and lank; his skin leathery from years of work. He and grandma were originally from western Kentucky, up in the Appalachian Mountains. Grandpa was one of the lucky few to have been able to find work outside the mountains.

Grandma gave me a quick hug, "I'm so glad you've come back, dear. You're so much better off here." Grandma never failed to speak her mind.

"It's good to see you again," I replied politely, taking my bags from the truck. Grandpa took them from me and we all went in the house.

Grandpa's black lab, Rocky, bounded up to great me. His tongue rolled out to the side in a goofy grin and as I glanced at his eyes a pain jabbed my heart. His eyes were hazel, just like Embry's. Rocky pawed at me but I uncharacteristically ignored him and headed for the spare bedroom.

Grandpa set my stuff down and I said, "I'd like to go to sleep now, if that's ok."

He nodded and put a hand on my shoulder before heading out of the room. Grandpa never talked much. Rhett hugged me good bye and left with grandma. I was alone and the loneliness rose to the surface. I sank down on the bed and scooted against the headboard; wrapping my arms around my legs.

Instead of thinking about back in Forks I thought of my friends I had left here. I would go back to school in a couple days and I was sure to be bombarded. I thought about Ronny and wondered how he'd expect me to act. He'd probably figured I'd still want to be more than friends. I could try but just the thought seemed wrong.

I sighed and rested my head against my knees. Rocky scratched at the door and whined. I ignored him and his whine turned into a desperate howl. I rolled onto my side and put the pillow over my ears. Outside the full moon was low, casting ere shadows over the baron field. I could picture Embry climbing through my window, just like he had a couple days before. I shut my eyes and pushed those thoughts out. I was trying to forget, but forgetting is harder than I thought.


	22. Need

**I'm so sorry it took me so long. I was in North Carolina. I should have posted a note or something. Hope you enjoy it and please comment!**

Chapter 22 – Embry POV

I rested back on my hands, letting the sandy gravel prick my palms. My legs hung over the side of the cliff and rubbed up against the rough sides. I looked down at the choppy black waves beating against the rocks below. The rocks didn't faze me, though, I had jumped off this cliff several times out of boredom. My jaw shook, however, when I remembered the last time I had leapt into the rigid water.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; breathing in the deep fall air. I could smell the salt on the waves, the dying leaves, smoke from some one's bonfire… but none of them compared to the smell I was seeking. I was seeking a person that smelled of freshly cut grass and sunshine. Dixie.

I clenched my jaw at the desire and pain that flooded me. I shouldn't have come here. I knew it would only bring back the pain I was trying to escape. But I couldn't stay away. This is where it happened – where I destroyed our future. Her future.

My shoulders started to shake and I swallowed hard. Whether they shook from the silent tears that wouldn't come or from the phase that was just itching to tear me apart I have no idea. I hadn't phased since the day Dixie left. I saw how much my pain hurt them so I tried to keep it to myself.

Of course that meant I was by myself a lot. The silence didn't ease the pain and the loneliness only emphasized what was going on.

I wasn't all that surprised when I heard the lanky, uneven gate of Seth approach me. Despite the fact that I was trying to shield them from my sorrow they continued to visit me. It didn't really bother me, I just felt bad for them. I'm not much company.

Seth sat down on the edge of the cliff next to me with a sigh, "Yow you doing today?"

The today part was key. My mood shifted from day to day. The weather or the smells around me usually had the most affect on me. I shrugged, "I'm ok."

Seth nodded. All he knew about imprinting was from the thoughts of others. He hasn't experienced the joy or the pain that comes with it. He, nor any of the others, had much advice for me. No one has ever had an imprint willingly leave them.

We are supposed to be whatever our imprints want us to be. For Jake and Quil, they fill the role of a big brother. For most though, they filled the role of a lover. No one has ever had their imprint not want them in their lives.

I must have had a sour look on my face because Seth sighed again, "We really miss you, Embry." His voice was quiet.

"I'm sorry, Seth. I just think its for the best. You guys don't need to feel my pain."

"That's the purpose of a pack. We are supposed to share each other's burdens." I looked at Seth, remembering how a year ago you wouldn't have heard something so profound from him. His father's death, his changing, his sister's, his recent experiences in love – they all have changed him. He seemed so much older.

"What?" Seth asked at my staring.

"You've changed a lot."

His lips rose in a half smile. "This is supposed to be about you."

"I was just commenting. You've matured a lot."

He changed the subject back away from him, "When do you think you'll come back?"

"I don't know, Seth." I didn't try to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"She said she was coming back, remember?" He said, "Just think of her being on a vacation."

"With an undetermined return… if at all?" I finished for him.

He pursed his lips. "Try to be optimistic, Embry."

I ground my teeth together. I had tried to be optimistic, but it's kind of hard when your whole world has fallen in around you. I had only known her for a week but she was my whole life. Now she was gone. What makes it so much worse is it's not like she's completely gone. I could run to Kentucky, it would probably take me only 24 hours.

As if Seth had read my mind he asked, "Why don't you just go to her?'

"She doesn't want me to." I answered automatically. Those were her words. My mind flashed back to that day.

[i]"You don't want me to come with you?" I had asked, unwanted tears rising up in my eyes.

She shook her head, "No, you need to stay here."[/i] Each word was a dagger in my heart. This was impossible. Every second of the day I felt a magnetic pull trying to drag me east.

"So?" Seth answered.

I looked at him and he smiled at my confused expression, "So… I need to do what she tells me."

He slid his feet up onto the cliff and got up, dusting the dirt off his shorts. "Do you really? From my understanding this imprint thing is mutual. She loves you. You should have seen the way she cried…" I shivered, I had seen the way she cried. It was a memory I didn't want back up. Seth paused for a second before continuing, "Maybe you could convince her to come back, or let you stay or something." He looked down at me. "You can't just let this kill you, Embry."

I closed my eyes and heard him walk away. I had thought about going and talking to her, but I had always shoved the thought away. That wasn't what she had wanted. Or at least, that's what she said. The image of her crying uncontrollably from Seth's mind flashed through my head.

She needed me as much as I needed her. The pull was her longing for me. I needed to be there with her, for my sake and her's. As I thought about this the pull got even stronger, my legs were moving underneath me without me telling them to. I shook my head but I was already on my feet.

[i]Your mom needs you here. Your pack needs you here.[/i] Her words whispered in my head with absolute clarity. If I were to give into the need, what would happen to my mom? I was all she had.

But the need was clouding up my logic. Before I knew what I was doing I had pulled my shorts off and phased. Seth and Quil were also phased.

[i]Take care of my mom.[[i] I thought to them.

[i]Good luck, Embry.[/i] Quil thought. Seth's thoughts were smug.

[i]Thank you, Seth.[/i] I whispered in my head as my legs started straining themselves to move faster than possible. I didn't need to know where I was going. I was being led to where I wanted to be.


	23. Daisy Dukes and Forbiden Memories

**Lets see… my excuse this time… I was stressed beyond belief. I'm really sorry it took so long. I should be getting more regular with the chapters from now on. **

Chapter 23 – Dixie POV

The air was damp with early morning dew. The sun was still low on the horizon and the evening chill still blanketed our backyard. I sat on the back porch swing; my left leg on the seat next to me and my right hanging off the side. I had my knife in my hand. The blade was up and I was rubbing my thumb along the flat side absentmindedly. The knife was a sweet sixteen birthday present from Rhett. My parents didn't approve of their teenage daughter owning and carrying a knife but my brother pointed out that I could use it for my protection.

A half smile spread across my face as I remembered the first time I had used it for protection. Little did I know that trying to use my knife on Embry would probably break the blade. I recalled the startled look on his handsome face as I pulled the knife on him and laughed quietly.

It had been two days since I got back to La Grange. Today I would be heading back to school. The thought stirred apprehension inside of me. I shouldn't be nervous; this was the same school I had gone to my entire life. But it didn't seem that way. Instead of feeling at home here, I felt like I was in another world. As I pondered how ironic that was I heard the screen door creak open.

I turned my head to see grandpa limp though the door. He didn't even try to hide the shock of seeing his depressed granddaughter playing with a knife. He cleared his throat, then and asked, "Are you about ready?"

"Umm… yeah," I slid off the swing and grabbed my backpack from the wood deck below me. "Let's get this over with."

My grandpa didn't say anything; he just smiled and held the door for me. Grandma gave me a timid smile from the kitchen table. They both knew I wasn't the same girl that had left them two weeks ago. I used to be bright and alert but now I felt down and dreary. After the first day they had kept their distance, which I was grateful for, but I could tell they were concerned.

"Have a good day, sugar." Grandma said softly.

I kissed her cheek before following Grandpa out the door. Grandpa was going to drive me to school until they could get my Jeep Liberty over here for me to drive. Grandpa's truck was ancient and smelled of chewing tobacco. Usually this familiar sanctuary would calm me but none of the ordinary things affected me the same way.

I had a pang of dread as we pulled into South Orland High's parking lot. I recognized everyone in the parking lot and they all saw me. I felt panicky and longed for Embry's strong arms to comfort me. I shook my head though, clearing the thoughts I was trying to forget.

I thanked grandpa and slid out of the cab. Before I even closed the door I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see my best friend, Katie walking towards me with a wide grin and even wider eyes. "I can't believe you're back!" She hugged me more gingerly than normal, word spreads fast.

"I know," I agreed.

"I missed you so much! How are you doing?"

"I'm good." I lied… which I shouldn't think because I was trying to make the lie reality.

"Aww, I'm so glad you're back." She grinned again started to tug me towards the building. I dragged my feet, not wanting to head towards the staring eyes. I could just imagine what they were thinking, Dixie went north and got involved with an abusive boyfriend – what a slut. Its first day in Forks all over again.

"Do you know who else missed you?" Katie grinned.

"Who?" I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

"Ronny," She answered, still grinning, "he talked about you all the time."

"Did he now?" I asked with a smile; playing my role.

That started Katie on a long ramble about how much he talked about me and what he said and what he looked like when he said it that lasted all the way to the office. I greeted the familiar face of the secretary Miss Ross with a smile.

"Dixie, we're so glad your back!" She said excitedly as she gave me my schedule. "I'm gonna guess that you don't need a map."

"No," I laughed, "I think I can remember."

"I'll help her if she gets ditzy," Katie teased; grabbing my arm and pulling me away. I walked with her down the familiar hallways towards our first class. I recognized every face I passed yet I seemed alone. There was a longing in my heart that couldn't be ignored. I tried to drone it out with Katie's insistent talking. I focused on her rambling and tried to make sense of it. She was talking about what she had been up to and what our other friends have been doing the past two weeks.

I was surprised about how much you miss in one week of school, even if it's the first week of school. I got stacks of homework to do and I already had a couple quizzes to make up. Welcome back to the real world.

The good thing was that during lunch I got to talk with Ronny. He had grinned and gave me a hug when he saw me. It had felt all wrong but I tried to ignore it and hugged him back. Everything told me to runaway but I was never one to listen to logic.

"I think your return calls for a bonfire." He had said with a devilish smile – a smile that two weeks ago would have made me swoon but had no affect on my now.

Katie drove me home and we decided to tackle my pile of make-up work before heading to Ronny's house.

"Tell me about Washington." Katie said, trying to get me to talk.

"It actually reminded me somewhat of the Appalachian Mountains. The trees were so thick at times you couldn't see the sun, when the sun was out. It rained all the time." I said, recalling the constant storms that played as background music in my memories. The thunder rolling as Embry told me his secret…

"But what about the people? Did you fit in at all?" She eyed my attire which was much the same as hers. Since returning I had started wearing my old clothes again, not having to worry about fitting in… in that way.

"The guys there wore flip flops." I recalled with a giggle.

"Are you serious?" She snickered.

"Yeah, my style of clothing definitely did not fit in."

"That must have sucked. They were nice though right?" She said the last part almost hesitantly. I knew the rumors had more than likely spread to her family. What story did she know? Did she really believe it?

"Everyone was really nice there." I replied confidently.

She smiled, "That's good." That ended the conversation.

***

I inhaled the dense smell of smoke as we pulled into Ronny's family's long gravel driveway. Ronny's family raised cattle so his land was wide and open and fenced off to keep the distant herd of black angus in place. The exception to this was the looming woods to the west of his house. There were already three other vehicles there, I saw people standing in a semi-circle around the blaze.

Tonight was my night to find my place back in this world. I had decided I was going to put Forks out of my mind completely and enjoy myself. I had put on my 'daisy dukes', cut off shorts that would make a nun gasp in horror. My plan in mind was to forget and I planned on having Ronny help me with that.

I tugged a little at the shorts as we made our way to the smoke filled crowd. I wasn't used to them but luckily my legs were tan enough from swimming this summer. I felt a glimmer of hope as I watched every guy at the fire appraise me with fevered eyes.

"Dixie, you look awesome." Ronny grinned again as I walked up and stood beside him.

"Thanks Ronny," I replied, "Glad you invited me."

Another guy across the fire started up a conversation and Ronny's face turned back to him. Ronny's attention didn't go along with his face though; he casually wrapped one arm around my waist. Everything inside of my told me to punch him in the face but I ignored it. Instead, I leaned into him and rested my head against his shoulder. It felt wrong, completely wrong, but it also felt right.

I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching. My eyes skimmed the woods in front of me but of course I couldn't see anything. My heart was pounding but instead of recognizing what… or who, I was really thinking of I forced myself to write it off as a reaction to being so close to Ronny. I forced myself to feel relaxed and soon I saw just how nice his touch felt.

Embry P.O.V.

My wolf eyes clearly saw through the dense smoke that cloaked the woods. The fire was not hinged with the familiar salt of the sea but it was still woodsy and calming. My heart leapt, though, as my eyes focused on Dixie in front of me. She was walking towards the fire, tugging at her indecent shorts absentmindedly. It took all my power to keep myself planted to my spot. I watched as her eyes dully lit up as she spotted another guy at the fire. My heart pounded in irregular beats, bringing pain to my chest. Who was that guy?

I felt a low growl build in my lungs as the guy placed a tanned arm around my imprint's waist. I took a shaky breath, pushing the growl away. The sound would reveal me and I really didn't need that. But I couldn't help the soft whine of pain that escaped my throat as I watched the center of my universe lean into another man's embrace.


	24. Mundane Feelings

**Thanks everyone for your comments! I want to apologize right away for this chapter being kind of… evil. Ha, I like it though. Well, enjoy!**

Chapter 24 - Embry P.O.V.

Logic told me that I wasn't needed here. I should have just left. She seemed at ease here and apparently didn't need me. It was obvious no matter how painful it was. But something deep inside me told me it was just a mask; that inside she needed me just as much as I needed her. So against the obvious I stayed and watched my life sigh another man's arms through the dancing blaze.

Dixie P.O.V.

We all talked long into the night. We eventually sat down, making a circle of friends around the burning fire. I knew every person there and was good friends with all of them before I left but it seemed different now. They joined me in the conversation but they weren't as animated towards me as I remembered.

I stayed near Ronny the whole night; leaning against him and playing my role. Every time my mind would wander or my eyes would search the woods in front of me for a grey wolf with two black spots I would lean a little closer to Ronny, take a deep breath and inhale his potent cologne or glance up at his face which I once considered drop dead gorgeous. Each time I would feel a pang of disappointment in my heart. He was not as warm as Embry was, he did not smell woodsy like Embry and he was definitely not as handsome as Embry. I would ignore the disappointment though and let my mind become that of a star struck teenage girl, ruled by her hormones.

I felt Ronny shift next to me and I looked up at him. He was gazing down at me with a slightly amused expression. "I'm glad you came back Dixie. I missed you so much."

The words should have brought a flutter to my heart or a blush to my face but they didn't. I was angry at myself for not having logical reactions. I leaned my head back against his shoulder and sighed. "I missed you too Ronny."

His arm wrapped a little tighter around me and I tried to ignore the disappointment. Somewhere, deep inside of me, was the logical reaction I was trying to dig out. It was cloaked by the dream back in Forks but I knew it was still there. I just had to get past Embry, get past Forks, get past all this illogical, mythical, nonsense and bring back reality.

I focused on the touch of his arm around me. It wasn't as warm as Embry and it didn't bring goose bumps to my skin but it still felt sorta nice. I focused on that feeling until I could feel every line and callous on his hand against my arm. I could feel is strong muscles against my back and I noticed how they bunched and released as he absentmindedly stroked my arm with his thumb. My heart fluttered. It was barely noticeable… but it was there!

"We had some calves born this past week." He mentioned in his deep bass voice. I felt a little bit of warmth in my chest and grinned.

"Really? I love calves, they're so cute."

That was obviously the reaction he was hoping for. He may have thought he was being slick but I saw right through that sorry farm boy. "Want to go see them?"

"Sure," I said in a quiet excited voice. Ronny stood up and I got up with him, dusting off my shorts. I glanced over at Katie, "Me and Ronny are going to go see the new calves, wanna come?" I didn't really want her to come but it might make our disappearance less awkward.

Her lips rose in a half smile, "No I'm fine, you two go ahead." So much for making this less awkward. As Ronny and I walked off I heard some snickers and an 'ow ow.' I smiled and Ronny laughed. I took Ronny's hand up in mine, hoping to feel the faint flutter in my chest. I did and it wasn't as faint.

One of the cows lowed as we approached the sleeping herd. They all stirred but didn't get up. The herd looked like one black mass but as we got closer I could see the little black balls sleeping in the tall grass. One of the little ones picked up his head; floppy hears wagging on either side of his round face.

"They're so cute!" I hissed excitedly as the calf licked his nose with his large pink tongue.

"I should have brought you out here earlier so you could have seen them better." Ronny muttered beside me.

I turned myself back to him, "I think now's the perfect time."

He let out one short nort and smiled. He reached a calloused hand up to brush a strand of hair out of my face. "I really missed you. You have no idea."

His touch ignited another excited flutter in my chest. It felt like a drug. I wanted more. I wanted to feel this mundane feeling again and again. I stepped closer to him as his lingering hand wrapped around the base of my neck. He leaned in until his breath was hot on my face. My heart stammered and I felt my breathing speed up. More, I wanted more. I leaned closer to him and closed the gap.

It felt wrong, completely wrong. It made me want to pull away in disgust. But the flutter was still there. He parted his lips and his sweet breath filled my mouth; the flutter grew.

Embry P.O.V.

I moved in the shadows as they walked towards the herd of sleeping cattle. I watched Dixie willingly take that man's hand up in hers and I bit my tongue. I should have left. I should have run away right then. But of course I didn't. I couldn't leave.

I breathed heavily in the shadows of the grouping of trees as they talked by the fence. The man looked at her in a way that made a soft growl erupt from my throat. I stifled it but not for long.

The man leaned into her and begged silently for Dixie to lean away. But she didn't, she moved forward, almost urgently, and pressed her lips to his. A pain like none other flooded me. It felt like my blood was on fire. I saw read and I shook even though I was already in wolf form. I clenched my jaw to keep the howl of pain from exposing me.

Dixie appeared confused at first and for a second I thought she would realize the mistake she was making but I was wrong. She kissed him back, pressing herself against him and wrapping her arms around her neck.

That should be me she was kissing so passionately.

I couldn't stifle it this time. A low and mournful howl barreled from my throat, echoing off the trees. I spun quickly, stirring up a wind as I flew away from there.

Dixie P.O.V.

I kissed him back, pressing my whole body against him and wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears I barely heard the low howl echo across the field. The cattle jumped to their feet and I pulled back with a short gasp.

"What was that?" My mind was confused. It wasn't comprehending anything.

His hands moved down to my waist, sending a trail of shivers up my spine. His lips moved to my throat and murmured, "Coyote,"

Oh, right. My breathing sped up as his lips moved back to mine. Wait, no, it wasn't a coyote. It was… no, yes, no, wait. My head spun, the two sides of me fighting for dominance. As my hand moved up into Ronny's hair I realized which side was winning. But the howl still echoed around in my head, making me more confused than ever.


	25. Burning

**Thanks everyone for your comments on the last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hope you like this one too!**

Chapter 25 – Dixie P.O.V.

Shortly after the howl stated echoing around in my head Ronny and I returned to the fire. I was in a daze, whether from the kiss or the ere howl that still rang in my ears I wasn't sure. I couldn't focus enough to make sense of what I heard, though. I had broken some barrier that obviously wasn't meant to be broken. I'd kissed someone else… and enjoyed it. Now every touch sent sensations of fire crawling down my skin. I'd gotten what I'd wanted, but now I wondered if it was really what I was looking for.

Katie and I left soon afterwards. She pestered me for details and I told her what happened, just because I was too flustered to defend myself. As we got farther and farther away from Ronny's farm a sickening feeling started to settle in my stomach. My head hurt and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"You don't look so good Dixie." Katie said as she glanced sideways at me from behind the steering wheel.

"I don't feel so good either."

"Well, we're almost home. Please don't throw up in my car." She let out a small laugh after saying that to show she was just joking. I wasn't paying enough attention to take it personally.

Once we reached my grandparents house I quickly said goodbye to Katie and retreated to the safety of my room. My grandparents were already asleep so I didn't have to worry about their pushy questions about how my night went.

I shut my door quietly and leaned against it, as if I was blocking someone from entering it. I leaned my head against the door as my shoulders started to shake. The disgusting feeling in my gut was stronger now and I realized what it was, regret. I regretted what I did and I knew I couldn't take it back. I had betrayed Embry, even if he was miles away.

Tears started to roll down my face and I slid to the floor. In searching for an antidote to Embry I only found that there was no escape. In realizing there was no escape I decided that it didn't matter, all I wanted was him.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around my legs to hold myself together. The howl had been reality, not the kiss. I thought all the feelings I felt were natural but the only natural part of that night had been the distant howl in my mind.

I froze at the thought. Was it in my mind? Ronny had heard it. I remember him muttering 'coyote' against my neck. The cows had even startled from their sleep. It was probably just a coyote though, right? My heart told me otherwise. Was it him? Was he there? Had he come back for me to find me in the arms of another man? The regret swelled and I truly felt like I was going to throw up this time. I had to find him. I had to tell him the truth. Tell him I loved him.

Following my heart I fled to the window and flung it open. I slid out into the quiescent night. The landscape rolled in front of me and the moon light glinted of the harvested stalks of corn. It was all open; nowhere for a wolf to hide. But I was past logic.

"Embry?" I whispered, my eyes searching for his sliver shape. "Embry, are you there?" All I heard was the rhythmic sound of a cricket. I slid down to the ground in despair, again, leaning my head against the porch steps. I whispered again, barely audible in the silent night, "I'm sorry, Embry. I love you."

Embry P.O.V.

The lack of woods made disappearing an annoying task rather than a release of pain. The annoyance was nothing, though, compared to the fire flashing through my veins. It wasn't one emotion that burned inside of me, it was several - hatred, jealousy, regret, betrayal, the list went on. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't see logic. Before I knew it my legs were spinning around, bringing me back towards that man. Hatred and jealousy burned dominantly in my mind.

_Embry stop,_ Jacob said after quickly reading my thoughts. My legs froze and I tumbled to a sudden stop; cursing my alpha.

_Let me go, Jake._ I growled. I glanced around quickly. I was in some kind of pasture but I was hidden from human eyes by the rolling hills.

_Just think for a sec, Embry._ He thought calmly.

I didn't want to think, because if I thought I knew I'd figure out how my decided actions were wrong. Killing that man could hurt Dixie emotionally. She had kissed him back so she obviously cared for him. My body trembled.

_It'll be ok, Embry._ He thought softly.

_How can it be ok? She wants him, not me. Maybe she never even loved me. She probably loved this guy the whole time._

_You know that isn't true._ Jacob pulled up an image that had flashed through my mind several times, the day that Dixie had said she loved me. She had looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and said those three little words so simply, yet, it made my heart leap. My dead heart thudded painfully.

_Words,_ I muttered,

_Embry…_

_Just leave me alone, Jake._

He paused to read my thoughts and see if I was still murderous. I had calmed but the pain was still evident, making Jake flinch. He wanted to stay and comfort me, _Go Jake, I want to be alone._

I felt him sigh, _Good night Embry. Are you coming home?_

The thought struck me as odd but then I realized it might be for the best. It was painful here, I should return home to where I belonged. But I couldn't bring myself to leave. _I can't, Jake. Not yet._

_Ok,_ He thought quietly, _Good luck, Embry._ His mind blinked out.

I was completely alone in my thoughts and the loneliness scared me. I was away from my home in strange territory, my imprint didn't want me and I had just cast away my pack. I shivered though I wasn't cold. I saw a grouping of trees and loped towards them to shelter for the night. Maybe after some rest I could think clearly and decide what to do.

I listened as the wind whistled in my ears. I heard the distant train roar its way through down town and the low of the cattle I was sharing the pasture with. But none of that droned out the whisper I heard in my head. "I love you." Curse Jake for bringing those memories up. I curled myself up into a protective ball to ward off the night and the unwanted thoughts. I couldn't hide from everything though, her words still echoed in my head in mocking banter, "Embry… I love you."


	26. Deja vu

**Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter!! Hope you enjoy this one!**

Chapter 26 - Dixie POV

"Dixie?" I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by the rising sun. I squinted and blinked a couple times and was able to make out a shape in front of me.

"Embry?" I whispered.

The figure in front of me took another step closer and I could make out his features – his strong jaw line, high cheek bones, muscled shoulders.

"You betrayed me." He said in a deep voice. I couldn't believe the pain that was held in those three words.

"I take it back, Embry!" I quickly sat up and reached for him but he moved out of the way.

"You don't love me." He stated in the dead voice.

"I love you, Embry. I've always loved you!" I reached for him again and this time he didn't move, but I couldn't touch him. My hand went through his arm.

"Dixie?" Embry mouthed but it wasn't his voice, it was older and faintly familiar.

I jumped awake then, blinking in the blinding sun; dazed. My clothes and skin were wet with dew. I looked up to see my grandpa standing over me, the source of the older familiar voice.

"Did you sleep out here?" His face was confused.

I looked around and ran a hand through my tangled hair. "I guess I did."

He stared at me for a second before muttering as he turned back into the house, "Go change your clothes."

I sat there for a second, bewildered. It had been a dream, a horribly painful dream. I shivered from the memory and the cold. My damp clothes clung to me as I got up and headed into the house.

"There's coffee here for you." Grandpa mumbled.

"Oh, thanks." I grabbed the cup and retreated to my room. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom on the way and started wringing my hair as I sipped the bitter drink. I glanced at the clock and saw it was already nine in the morning. I sighed and decided to take a shower. I chugged the rest of my coffee before returning to the bathroom.

I tried not to think about my dream as I showered, the water warming me and soothing my sore muscles from sleeping on the ground all night. I didn't even want to remember what happened the night before, when I had betrayed Embry. Instead I focused on the day before me. I didn't really have anything to do, besides homework.

After blow drying my thick hair I went and got more coffee and started working on my homework. Katie and I had gotten a lot done yesterday but I still had more to do. It was nearing eleven when Katie called me.

"Watcha doing tonight?" She asked. The way she said it made me figure she had something planned.

"I didn't really have anything planned." I admitted.

"We were all gonna go to T. Eddies tonight, wanna come?" T. Eddies was a country bar in Louisville. We were underage but it was still a fun place to hang out. The karaoke was always a hit.

"Sure I'll go," I said as an automatic response. I flinched after saying it and asked, "Uh, who's all going?"

She listed off a bunch of names, one of those being Ronny. "We'll pick you up at your house at seven."

"See you then." I replied pleasantly while I internally groaned at what I got myself into.

***

I nearly started crying when I saw Ronny's truck pull up in my driveway. I said goodbye to my grandparents before heading out the door with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I was horrified when I saw Katie jump out of the front seat so I could get in, forcing me into the seat between her and Ronny lovingly called the bitch seat. Riding bitch was a special privilege in a man's truck, it was as intimate as you could really get while he was driving. I slid in and scooted close to him, swallowing the urge to vomit.

"Hey Dix," He grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I flinched but smiled.

"Hows it going," I muttered.

"Not bad," He said with a small laugh.

I pondered my sanity as we drove the whole hour to Louisville. How was I going to break away from this grip Ronny had on me? I wished I had thought more before agreeing to this night out but it was too late for that.

I was thrilled when Ronny and the other guys started a game of pool. It gave me a chance to escape to the other girls at the table. We listened as some already drunk women sang some Shania Twain karaoke.

Katie leaned over to me and whispered as best she could in the thumping atmosphere, "Am I dreaming or are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I looked at the direction her eyes were looking and saw a tall man leaning up against the bar. He was wearing clothes that made him fit in – a black plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up, faded jeans and cowboy boots – but he was so handsome it looked like he belonged on a runway or on the cover of some fashion magazine. I stared at his face, feeling a rush of déjà vu. Why did he look so familiar? I studied his features as he watched the crowd, it looked like he was searching for someone. His features were unbelievably straight and crisp. He had curly red hair and eyes as black as night. As if he felt our stares he glanced at our table and smiled. His skin was so pale it glowed under the low lighting and I knew why he looked so familiar. My mind flashed back to the cliff when I had met the Cullens. He looked exactly like them, all except for the color of his eyes.

I glanced back at Katie and she was still staring at him. I glanced back at the… man, monster, I wasn't sure… and saw him nod at her and beckon her forward.

I heard Katie's chair slide across the floor. "No, Katie!" I urged, grabbing her arm. "You can't go over there!" I knew the Cullens didn't eat humans but I had no idea what this guy was like. If he was a vampire, I had high doubts that he followed the Cullen's strict diet.

"Are you the only one that's allowed to have a hot boyfriend?" She laughed lightly and pulled away, walking briskly to the vampire at the bar.

I kept an eye on them as they talked. As the moments went by it seemed as if the man started getting closer and closer to her. His eyes wouldn't stay on her face. It almost seemed as if he was staring at… her neck.

I knew I had to get her out of there. But Katie was stubborn; I had no idea how I was going to get her to leave someone so good looking.

I quickly made up a plan and struggled through the crowd to save my light head friend. "Oh, hey Dixie," Katie smiled at me. "This is Donovan." She gestured to the suspected vampire.

"Hello," I smiled and stuck out my hand to shake. He glanced at it for a second and shook it firmly. His skin was hard as granite and freezing cold.

"Hello," He replied with a faint accent.

"Katie, your mom tried calling you." I said, turning my attention from Donovan's hard eyes. "She called me and asked me to have you call her."

"Did she say why?" Katie asked, pulling out her cell phone.

"She said it was important." I lied.

"I'll be right back, Donovan." Katie smiled politely before heading for the door.

"Take your time." He beamed with bright white, perfectly even teeth.

Katie made her way through the crowd and Donovan's eyes followed after her. He glanced at me and said, "I think I'll go with her."

"It's a private call." I said flatly, all politeness leaving me.

"I'm sure she won't mind." His lips twitched into a grin.

"I know what you are, Donovan." Way to be subtle.

He paused and looked at me. He raised a slender eyebrow curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," I nearly growled back, making myself appear tough, "leech."

His expression didn't change. He glanced around to see if anyone's attention was drawn to us. There must have been no one because he turned back to me with fiery eyes. "And how do you know so much?" I decided that the faint accent was Irish. It was more prominent now.

"Does it matter?" I replied, "I'm not letting you get Katie."

"And how will you stop me, now? You're a pathetic little human."

His words shocked me. "So you admit it."

A slow smile crept on his face. "You didn't answer my question."

The next words left my mouth without a thought, at least not a rational one, "My boyfriend will hunt you down if you hurt her."

"Will he, now?" He grinned now. "And where is this boyfriend of yours and what makes him so powerful?"

"He's a shape-shifter, he kills your kind for fun." I defended my words the best I could.

"And where is he?"

I paused, "He's… not here."

"Ahhh," He let out a deep laugh and turned away.

"Wait!" I started after him.

"I just want to talk with her, lassy." He smiled at me, "No need to worry."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?"

He let out a loud laugh now, "You're a witty one, aren't you?"

"I'll tell her." I threatened, "I'll tell Katie. I'll tell this whole damn bar if I have to. Just leave, now."

His face went expressionless. "They wouldn't believe you."

"You willing to risk it?"

His face quickly lost all hint of humanity. I was more frightened than I ever have been as he glared at me. "I'll leave you, but you'll regret it. I don't give up so easily. We will meet again and that time you won't get off so lucky, little one." An evil smile spread across his lips and he turned away, heading for the exit that Katie wasn't at. My heart started racing and I wondered how much trouble I had just gotten myself into.


	27. Disapointment

**You guys are awesome! I love all your comments! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 27

I'm not sure how long I stood there staring at the door that Donovan had just exited. I was terrified. I had no idea how dangerous saving my friend would be for me. I had just made an enemy and I had no one to protect me from it. I abandoned Embry who now was my only hope. Katie was the one who broke me from my trance.

"My mom said she didn't call you." She muttered.

"That's strange."

"Why did you tell me she called?" She pressed. I shrugged and Katie sighed. "Where did Donovan go?"

"He had to leave." I pulled my eyes away from the door to look at my friend. "It was urgent."

Katie's face formed a pout. "You probably chased him off."

"I wouldn't do that Kate." I lied, grabbing her arm and pulling her back towards the table. My eyes kept darting around the room, in search of any other dangers. I kept seeing Donovan's face every time I'd glance somewhere. I felt paranoia seeping into my mind.

When we reached the table the guys were swarming it. They were taking a break from pool to watch one of our friends to perform 'Picking Wildflowers' on the karaoke stage. Guitars hummed the opening chords as we reached it.

"Where you been?" Ronny asked, grinning up at me.

"Katie had to call her mom." I gave Katie a look that obviously told her to be quiet. She eyed me for a moment but kept her mouth shut.

"Don't leave again." He said while grabbing me around the waist and pulling me onto his lap. I felt like I was going to vomit and I relished the feeling.

I smiled so I wouldn't hurt his feelings and hoped it didn't look too much like a grimace. If I got up now or protested I'd be making a fool out of him. I may not love him but I still considered him a friend. I finally decided to tell myself that just sitting on his lap wasn't being disloyal to Embry. Besides, there weren't any other chairs left. My stomach still churned and I was pleased.

"Are you going to keep me here?" I played along.

"Yes," he replied while wrapping his arms around my tightly. I automatically felt claustrophobic. "You're my prisoner, now."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the stage where our friend, Dave, was making a fool out of himself. I thought just sitting on his lap would be harmless, but evidently it wasn't. Ronny rested his head on my shoulder, his breath heavy on my neck. It wasn't long before his lips moved to my neck.

My head ached and my stomach lurched. His kiss repulsed me and I was thrilled with the reaction I wanted. I reached my hand up and lightly pushed his face away. But he came back.

"No, Ronny," I scolded, feeling like an overtired elementary school teacher.

I felt him smile against my neck, "Why?" I felt his tongue slide over my skin.

"Because I said so, that's why." I turned to glare at him but something caught my eye.

At the end of the room was a tall muscular man walking rather quickly for the door. His skin was bronze and his hair was black and chopped off, in a cute way.

"Embry," I whispered.

"Who?" Ronny's head swiveled around to see where I was looking. Before he could say anything else I jumped up and started running for Embry.

As I got closer I was positive it was him. My heart started racing. Reaching him, I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, burying my head into his chest. But the smell was all wrong. He smelled of cigars and vodka.

"What the hell?" A raspy voice echoed from his chest as he pushed me away. Then I looked up. It wasn't Embry. He had green eyes and as I studied him I decided he looked about 40. Not anywhere near as attractive as Embry. Disappointment flooded me and I felt tears prick my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I thought you were someone else.

His face softened as he eyed me. "No prob, do you wanna get a drink?"

"I'm underage." I supplied.

"And with me." Ronny's arm wrapped around my waist as he said this. I hadn't even realized he had followed me.

The man I had mistaken for Embry glared at Ronny but left anyways. Ronny's arm around me was distracting now, but not in a good way. It felt like a snake was wrapped around my waist. His thumb stroked me softly. "What the hell were you thinking, Dixie?"

"I thought I knew him." I replied, trying to hide the tears in my voice. I looked away from him as I felt one fall down my cheek. I had wanted that so bad to be Embry. Everything would be better, then. I had finally realized my world revolved around him and it was too late. Maybe if it had been him, I would be able to apologize, and maybe he'd take me back.

But why would he take me back? I was a skank. I made out with his pathetic looser next to me. Hell, I wouldn't take me back, especially not with this guy's arm wrapped around me.

"Take your hands off of me." I muttered.

"What?" Ronny asked, he sounded almost amused.

"Take your damn hands off of me Ronny." I growled, pulling away from him and pushing his chest.

"Dixie…" I didn't let him say anymore. Before I could think my right hand formed a fist and socked him in the face. I felt the crack of his nose as my clenched hand made contact with his stupid grin.

"What the hell, Dixie? What'd you do that for?" He leaned over and grabbed his nose in both hands. He pulled them back to see the blood gushing all over his palms.

"Never touch me again, Ronny. And I mean it."

Ronny was obviously in shock. It probably didn't help much that half the bar had gone silent after watching our little scuffle. My mind wasn't focused enough to be proud of what I did. All I wanted to do was escape into Embry's arms. But Embry wasn't there; my house would have to do. I left Ronny standing there in a bloody mess to go find Katie.

***

Embry P.O.V.

Where do you go when your everything is all but a memory? You can't be the place you want to be but can't bring yourself to leave. Loping through the dense woods in the mountains reminded me of back home in La Push. It was safer than roaming around open fields and close enough to keep me somewhat sane - if I had any sanity left.


	28. Rolly Polly

**I was having a hard time getting the chapters to load. Sorry it took so long. The good part is, you get two chapters, woo!!**

Chapter 28 – Dixie POV

I'm sure the ride home was awkward. Ronny hadn't been in any condition to drive home for his broken nose was still gushing blood so Dave had to drive, snickering all the while. Ronny sat in the passenger seat, his head rolled back to keep the blood from rolling down his face. When we'd hit a pot hole he would groan involuntarily. I sat in the back barely aware of what was going on around me. The scene in the bar when I had run up to the stranger kept playing over and over in my head. I was in an emotion overload crash and my mind seemed to be recoiling into it's self. Like a rolly polly, those little grey bugs that rolled themselves into a ball whenever they felt in danger. Me and Rhett would play with them when we were little, watching in amusement as we'd tap their backs and they'd roll into tiny balls.

I decided I needed to think of better illustrations for my feelings.

Instead of contemplating my feelings and insects I stared out the window at the changing scenery. I watched as the hills rolled up and down. The scenery would occasionally disappear all together when the road would cut through a bluff. The jagged sides would bear down on us like natural walls.

After an eternity we reached the outskirts of La Grange. I was dropped off first. No one acknowledged my leaving with a murmured good bye. The only one that really looked at me was Katie, and she only turned to give me a half smile. Great, now I was the bad guy. It wasn't like I stabbed Ronny or anything, I just punched him in the face. It's not my fault he has a soft nose.

I was surprised when I saw a third vehicle in the driveway. Next to my grandpa's truck was my navy blue Jeep Liberty. I walked up to it, running my hands over it's sides. Ronny must have recently waxed it, the moonlight glinted off it brightly. I opened the driver side door and slid in. I ran my hands over the faux leather steering wheel and pulled my seat up. I inhaled and felt at ease. _I missed you old friend._ And there went the rest of my sanity.

I lightly kissed the steering wheel before getting out and heading back towards the house. Lights were dimly glowing in the living room so I knew one of my grandparents were still up. I slid the door open and shut it quietly. "You're home early." My grandma's voice echoed from the living room. I walked farther into the house and found her sitting in her favorite chair reading one of her Amish romance novels.

"Yeah, some people wanted to go home early." I muttered, slinking down onto the soft couch. It smelled dusty with pet dander. It wasn't long before Rocky jumped up on the couch and stared at me with accusing hazel eyes for stealing his spot. My heart ached as I stared at him, remembering the last time I had seen Embry in wolf form. His eyes looked exactly the same. I straightened my legs and patted my lap inviting Rocky on. He willingly obliged, all 80lbs of him. "Hm," Whether that as a response to my answer, Rocky on the couch, or something in her novel I had no clue. She flipped an aging page let out a long sigh. I wondered momentarily just how scandalous those Amish novels got. The girl taking off her socks was probably as smutty as it got. That made my mind wander to the night Embry and I had spent together; all he had been wearing was gym shorts.

I pulled Rocky closer to me, my personal furry security blanket. I rested my head on his neck and sighed into his fur. He twisted himself around to lick my ear and I smiled. Rocky didn't smell woodsy, he smelled of corn dust and slightly of pond muck. He must have gone frog gigging.

"I'm going to bed." I muttered, "Off," I told Rocky and he obediently jumped off my lap.

"Sweet dreams sweetheart." Grandma smiled, glancing up at me from behind her book.

I patted my leg and Rocky followed me down the hall to my room. His tail wagged happily, this was the first time since I got here I had actually paid any attention to him. He jumped up on my bed and made himself at home while I changed into pajamas and escaped to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I returned to find him sprawled out all the way across my bed.

"Scoot over," I muttered to him and nudged him awake. He looked at me for a second and laid his head back down. I sighed and pushed him a little, just so there was enough room for me to squeeze under the covers. Once I was in I wrapped my arms around Rocky and sighed. His body was warm, not Embry warm but still a nice warm. I could feel his heart under my arms, the slow rhythmic beating gradually put me to sleep.

***

I woke up to nails digging into my stomach and the awkward feeling of falling. I hit the ground hard, rattling my healing broken ribs. I cursed but started laughing when I saw Rocky's surprised expression.

Besides the throbbing feeling in my ribs my back was also sore from curling around Rocky the whole night. But I would say it was worth it. I had slept peacefully last night with my furry security blanket. I glanced at the clock and realized there was only five minutes before my alarm was going to go off. I decided it wasn't worth it and went and turned my alarm clock off.

I went through my monotonous morning tasks with Rocky following behind me like, well, a puppy. I wasn't exactly looking forward to going to school today. Modern technology made it possible for gossip to spread even faster. I was almost positive the entire school knew that I had socked Ronny in the face last night. Hell, the teachers probably already knew. I wondered momentarily if he was ok but decided not to dwell on it.

My outlook got slightly better when I walked out the door and saw my old friend Liberty standing in the driveway. I slid into my jeep and started it, listening to the engine purr. I quickly turned the radio off and pulled out of the driveway.

"You got your jeep back." Katie commented when she met me in the parking lot.

"Yeah, it was there when we got back last night." I replied, "Rhett must have dropped it off."

Katie nodded, biting her lip. She always did that when she was trying to keep quiet. Evidently it wasn't working this time, "So… what was with the random mood swing last night?"

"I don't think it was really random." I answered thoughtfully. "I think it was just kinda building up to that." I looked up at her, "I had a lot of regret after kissing him at the bonfire."

She was silent for a moment, "And what was with hugging that 40 year old guy?"

I sighed, "He looked like someone I knew, back in Forks."

"He looked like him didn't he?"

I stopped walking and Katie stopped too, stepping directly in front of me to look me in the eye. "Who?" I asked.

"Him," Katie repeated, "The one that hurt you, that you obviously haven't gotten over yet."

"He didn't hurt me on purpose, Katie."

"Ahh so there is a him." Her face tweaked into a small smile. "I didn't say it was on purpose, I'm just going off what I heard."

"I wish you wouldn't believe the rumors." I scowled and turned away but she grabbed my arm.

"I'm not," She defended softly, "I want to believe the truth. But you seem reluctant to tell me."

"I can't tell you the whole story, Katie. Please understand that."

"You can at least tell me his name right? Or is he under some relocation thing?"

I shook my head at her humor, "His name is Embry."

"Good we're getting somewhere. Now, was he your boyfriend?"

I paused, the boyfriend didn't seem to do justice, "Something like that."

"Well what were you? Bed buddies?"

My jaw dropped, "No, Kate, gosh. It wasn't anything like that. It just seemed like, more than boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You still aren't answering my question."

I sighed, "It's really one of those things I can't tell you the whole story."

Her eyes narrowed, "Fine. Do you still talk to him?"

"No," I said softly, "I haven't seen him since I left Washington." It was sort of the truth. I didn't really see him when I was locking lips with Ronny.

"And you miss him."

"Was that a question?"

She pursed her lips, "Evidently not." I looked at her kind eyes and felt a rush of emotion. It felt so good to actually talk to someone who tried to sympathize for me. No one, not my parents, my brother, or my friends back in Forks, had tried to understand the way I felt for Embry. I couldn't stop the tears as they trickled down my cheeks. Katie took me up in a hug. I hugged her back fiercely.

"I'm sorry, Dix. I really am. I wish there was a way I could help."

Find Embry, I wanted to say. But that was probably impossible. I had no idea if he was still in the area, back in Washington or wandering around the states. I think it was the not knowing part that hurt me the most. He could be 200,000 miles away or 2 feet and I had no idea. I burrowed my face into Katie's shoulder as more tears streamed down my face.

The warning bell rang and I felt Katie stiffen. I pulled back grudgingly. "Go to class, I'll be fine."

"Where are you going?" She asked with genuine concern.

"I'm just gonna hang out in my jeep for a while. Ya know, until I calm down."

She smiled lightly, "Ok, Dix, I'll see you later."

I watched her walk away before turning back to the safety of my jeep. I got in and locked the doors; leaning my head against the steering wheel. My tears fell onto my lap and I shuddered. Was this ever going to get easier?

But something grabbed my train of thought. I sat up straight and looked around. I had the ere feeling that someone was watching me. I couldn't take it anymore; I turned the key in the ignition and gunned my jeep to life. I pulled out of the parking lot quicker than the law allowed and sped away. Glancing in my rearview mirror I saw a flash of red sprint across the road behind me before disappearing into the unharvested corn field.


	29. Camping

**:( I only got 3 comments on the last two. Now I'm kinda upset. Well, I hope you enjoy this one.**

Chapter 29

My heat thudded loudly in my chest and fear pricked my spine. Automatically my imagination schemed up terrible ideas about just what that red flash might have been: an alien, a mutant fox, Donovan. Out of all of those illogical answers the last seemed the most real. My foot pressed harder on the gas pedal, recklessly driving 30 miles over the speed limit.

Fear and confusion took over my mind and I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going. I followed the winding roads, dodging the occasional pothole or road kill. I think my automatic safety defense had taken over, bringing me to a safe place. Rhett's house?

I slowed down and pulled into the driveway, wondering if this was really a smart decision. If, whatever that thing was, was following me I had just led it to my brother's house. Very smart Dixie, very smart.

I sighed, resting my head against the steering wheel. My jeep idled, making a stiff humming sound. Besides that it was quiet. Not ere quiet, but a nice quiet. Peaceful.

"Dixie?" I jumped in my seat and looked up to see Rhett standing outside my door. He didn't try hiding his confusion. "What are you doing here?"

I turned my jeep off and opened the door, all the while trying to come up with an excuse. "I broke down at school today, I decided to leave."

"You broke down? Dixie, are you ok?"

I could feel the tears rise again, choking my throat. I bit my lip and tried to swallow the tears. I sniffled a little and Rhett sighed, wrapping his arms around me. "Let's go inside." He removed one arm from around me but kept one draped around my shoulders; guiding me for the house.

"Thank you for waxing my Jeep." I whispered before I could forget.

He let out a deep laugh, "You're welcome," He opened the door with a creek, the smell of cedar and gun powder filled my head. What with the gun cleaning supplies lying across his tiny kitchen table I guessed he had just finished cleaning his gun. "But really, Dix, what's going on."

He pulled out a chair for me and I sat as directed, feeling like I was being interrogated. I wondered if I should tell him what's really wrong or if I should just make something up. If I told him what was really wrong, he would get pushy, and I knew he didn't have any sympathy for Embry after the lies mom and dad had told him.

"I think it's just all the stress lately." I lied. It sounded like a reasonable response. I really did have a lot of stress right now, but that was only a small, minute detail in my big picture.

"I hate stress," He muttered sympathetically, moving for the fridge. He pulled out a beer and tossed me a bottle of water. He popped the top of his beer and took a thoughtful swig. "You know what I do when I'm stressed?" He sat down quickly next to me, leaning on the table excitedly.

"Shoot things?"

His mouth opened to reply and he paused, "Well… yes, but besides that."

I felt the corners of my mouth draw up in a small smile, "What?"

He pointed a finger at me, "I go camping. This weekend. Me and you. We haven't been camping together in forever Dix! And the best part is, mom and dad aren't around to parental it up!"

I laughed at my brother's enthusiasm. He looked like he was ten years old. "This weekend?" I repeated.

"Yeah, we'll go up to the mountains."

I thought of the Appalachian Mountains. I had only been there a couple times. I remember the landscape was incredibly hilly. You were practically walking up or down hill the whole entire time. It was also completely covered in trees except for the random breaks where water ran. The trees were so thick you couldn't see the sky, just like in Forks.

"Unless you have something better to do than hang out with your big brother." He looked away, trying to seem disappointed.

At that moment I couldn't think of anything that was within my reach that I could do that would be better than that. Maybe being in the quiescent woods would help me calm down; maybe feel a little closer to my lost Embry. "Sounds like fun, Rhett." I said, while pulling off my best grin.

"Shweet," He said with a shwa sound at the beginning; holding his hand up for a high five. I giggled and slapped his hand. "Now, are you planning on ditching the entire day?" He asked, suddenly getting serious… well, as serious as my brother got. "Because if you're ditching the whole day I should probably call the school and tell 'em you're sick or something."

I was in such a good mood that for a second I almost said I was going back. Then I remembered the ere red flash and decided against it. Rhett's face seemed indifferent as he pulled out his cell and called the school. He told them I wasn't feeling well and they surprisingly believed him.

"Don't you have to go to work?" I asked, suddenly realizing what time it was.

"Works been slow lately, I'm sure they won't mind if I take off."

"You don't have to do that. I can take care of myself."

He eyed me. "You sure?"

"Absolutely positively sure." If Donovan came for me now, at least Rhett would be out of the way.

"Ok then," He playfully punched my arm. "I'll see ya later. Don't eat all my food."

"Awww," I moaned in fake disappointment and I heard him laugh as he walked out the door.

And I was alone. With the loneliness came time to think. Then came despair. And I was right where I had begun.

***

We left right after school on Friday for our weekend in the mountains. I was excited to get under the dark canopy of trees. They were even predicting a thunderstorm tonight. I know Rhett was praying it didn't rain but I was more than excited.

Most of the tourists camped in the RV and Trailer sections of the campgrounds so the tent section was more than enough open for us. We were even close to the head of the trail that led to the lake.

"I know what we're doing tomorrow morning." Rhett grinned, "Lets pick up the bait tonight."

I loved the relaxing feeling that comes with camping. It feels like there's so much to do but you have forever to do it. It doesn't matter if all you want to do is sit around the fire with your brother, that's perfectly acceptable.

Rhett and I didn't stay up real late; we were planning on getting to the lake early in the morning. After getting back from the bug filled showers I curled up under my sleeping bag to get some well deserved rest. It wasn't long before rain drops started to patter on the top of the tent. I heard Rhett groan next to me but I kept my emotions to myself. Soon after his expression of disapproval he started snoring.

I started to think about the day that lay ahead of me tomorrow. It thrilled me to be back under the cover of trees. I couldn't wait to see them all covered in dew and raindrops tomorrow. Maybe it would be thundering. Do I sound pathetic or what?

But with all these thoughts came thoughts of Embry. I wondered where he was and what he was doing right now. I couldn't ignore the hurt that came with not knowing. I wished he was here with me like he had been in Forks. We could sit out in the forest like we did before; talk into the night about random things. Or maybe he would just snuggle into my sleeping bag with me and we'd just spend the night in each other's arms.

I gritted my teeth as the pain came. All I wanted to do was hear his voice, know that he was ok, or maybe just see him off in the distance, fine and happy. Then I would be ok… maybe.

My thoughts were disturbed by a soft rustling of leaves outside the tent. I froze and listened. Over the sound of the light rain I heard a patter of footsteps too light and agile to be human.

Embry.

Of course that was what my mind first thought. As a result of that I found myself silently scrambling out of my sleeping back and sliding out of the tent. I squinted into the darkness and took a few paces towards the woods. "Embry?" I whispered. I heard the footsteps, they were close.

"Em…" Before I could finish my whisper a hand wrapped around my mouth. Another wrapped around my waist securing me against a cold, hard, body.

A soft voice whispered in my ear, "Don't scream."


	30. You Don't Understand

**Yay I got a ton of comments on the last chapter! Loved it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

Chapter 30

My heart started racing and I trembled. The rain had picked up now flattening my hair to my head. The soft voice chuckled, "Good. Now I think we should move a little into the woods don't you? We wouldn't want to wake your protective brother would we?"

His cold hand made my face say no. "I didn't think so." We started walking forward. I tried to struggle but I didn't get anywhere. It was like he had an iron grip around me. My stumbling steps didn't even alter his at all. Underneath his hand I was frantically panting but he was barely breathing.

Donovan slowed us to a halt deep into the woods. I could barely see from the pouring rain and the denseness of the trees. "I'm going to let you go now, but I'll advise you not to run. It's more time consuming."

He released me from his cold arms and took a step back. I whirled around to face him, almost tripping over my own feet. He was wearing the same outfit he had had on in the bar. He had discarded his shoes somewhere though and his clothes were badly worn. The rain darkened his red hair to a deep russet. He had a wide grin on his face; black eyes hungry.

"I told you I would come back for you." He said, taking a step closer to me. I automatically backed up.

"Why are you doing this?" I stuttered.

He cocked his head to the side. "Do I really need a reason? Isn't 'I'm hungry' good enough for you?" I shivered involuntarily and he chuckled, taking another step towards me. "You really pissed me off at the bar the other night, lassy." He reached up and touched my face almost in a caress. "And you smell so good." The so was drawn out in a groan.

This was it. He was really going to kill me. My mind frantically tried to think of something, anything I could do to defend myself. I couldn't think of anything that would penetrate his granite skin. He took another step closer so that we were merely inches apart. My heart started racing faster and he grinned. "I was going to draw this out," He muttered, "But you were exceptionally willing to follow my orders. I guess I can try to make this painless… try." His eyes flashed with humor and a deep sigh emerged from his throat. "It's a shame your… boyfriend couldn't be here. This would have been so much more interesting."

_Embry,_ I thought, _Embry, I love you._ Frightened tears welled in my eyes. _I need you._

Donovan leaned closer approaching me as if he were merely going to kiss my throat. On his way down, though, he paused. His head sprang up, looking towards the west. "What the?" He breathed, eyes not straying from a point in the distance. I couldn't see anything but soon I heard something. It sounded almost like the roar of a freight train. There was a menacing growling sound emanating from the west and I knew who it was.

"Embry," I breathed, not trying to hide the relief in my voice.

Donovan's eyes flickered to me momentarily then back towards the west. His surprised expression was replaced with a slow smile.

The growling stopped suddenly and all you could hear was the sound of my heavy panting. Donovan kept staring into the distance though, frozen. I looked the way he was looking but couldn't see anything at all. I barely heard the approaching footsteps. I didn't see him until he was right on top of us, leaping forward in huge bounds.

I had never seen something so frightening in my life. Embry in full wolf form just standing there was imposing enough, but this was terrifying. His hackles were fully raised on his back, highlighting his two black spots. His ears were pinned back and his were eyes hard and wide. The worst part, though, was his muzzle. His lips were pulled back over his gums revealing long white fangs and teeth as long as my hand. A roar loud enough to rip someone's eardrums erupted from his open throat.

But the best thing was, I wasn't afraid.

Donovan on the other hand looked like he was going to shit himself. He dropped me and I quickly scurried out of the way. Donovan crouched down in a ready position, meekly baring his teeth. Embry kept barreling down on him. Donovan ran two steps and leapt towards him. They met together with a bang that sounded like thunder. Hisses and growls echoed from the flurry of fur and granite skin. They were moving so fast I couldn't see what was happening.

My heart raced as I stepped a few more paces back. I leaned against a tree and fought the urge cover my ears at the noise that resonated off the trees. I watched the battle with slow human eyes, trying to tell who was winning.

I heard a crunching sound and saw the white form of Donovan lift off the ground and fly into the trunk of a tree. He hit it with a crack and I watched as the tree swayed wildly, threatening to fall on us. Donovan fell limply to the ground but quickly jumped to his feet and rushed Embry.

Embry snarled again and met Donovan's attack with his fangs bared. Donovan went for his neck, a hiss resounding from his bared mouth. Embry rolled over quickly, barely dodging Donovan's lethal teeth. Donovan held on, rotating with Embry; staying light and quick on his feet. Embry snapped at the leech and was able to grab his arm. The arm tore off with a squealing screech.

Donovan roared in pain and went for Embry's furry throat again. Donovan was slightly off balance, though, so it was easy for Embry to take his torso in his jaws and throw him to the ground. Embry pounced, almost like a playful puppy, and trapped Donovan under his paws. He quickly, but swiftly beheaded Donovan; followed by dismembering every limb from his body and tearing them into tiny pieces. Embry stood still for a second, hackles slowly falling flat. Then he took a step back from the pile of body parts to look at me. His hazel eyes were so intense my heart skipped a beat. His fur was dampened and clinging stiffly to his sides.

I so badly wanted to know what was going on in his mind. What scenes was he remembering, me kissing Ronny or me telling him I loved him? Emotion was overwhelming me and I couldn't take it anymore. My legs pulled me forward, sprinting through the trees to close the gap between us. My arms wrapped around his soaked neck, burying my face in his fur. I clung to him, feeling tears stream down my face. His head shifted so that his chin was at my back, wrapping me in his woodsy warmth.

"I missed you so much." I whispered. A hum murmured from Embry's throat in response. He slowly pulled away from my hug, gently tugging away from my unwilling fingers. He blinked and spun on his hocks, disappearing into the darkness.

Panic nearly knocked me to the ground. "Embry?" I panted, virtually hyperventilating.

"Yeah?" His deep human voice greeted me from the darkness. I felt more tears stream down my face. He emerged quickly, still buttoning his shorts. I ran to him again, swearing to myself I would never let him go.

He hugged me back like before, but his hug wasn't as urgent as mine. His arms were only wrapped delicately around me. I pulled away slightly to look at his face. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the morbid pile of limbs.

"We need to find some matches." He said, eyes not meeting mine, "We have to burn the pieces."

No 'I missed you?' No 'I'm so glad you're safe?' No 'I love you?' All the words of my dreamed up return scene were not coming into play. I guess I really shouldn't expect him to take me back so quickly when I had betrayed him.

"There's some back at the camp sight." I replied, trying not to sound choked. I looked around but nothing looked familiar. I couldn't remember which way we had come from.

Embry must have noticed my confusion because he sighed, "C'mon." His hand lightly touched my arm and guided me towards the tent. His hand didn't linger though; he quickly put them into the pockets of his jean shorts.

I bit my lip and swallowed. My arm stung with rejection where he had touched me. We were walking close to each other but not nearly close enough. He seemed hesitant to even let our shoulders bump. I desperately wanted to grab him in my arms again, force him to wrap his arms tightly around me, and grab his face in my hands and kiss him tenderly. But the way this was looking that might never happen again. A few tears slipped silently over my cheeks.

It took longer than I remembered to get back to camp. I quietly opened the truck and pulled out a box of matches. I handed them to Embry and noticed that he still wouldn't meet my glance.

"Thanks, I only need a couple." He took about five and stuck them in his pocket before turning around.

"Wait!" I hissed, grabbing his arm. "Can't I come with you?"

"You don't have to," He replied, gently sliding out of my grasp. "Go back to sleep, you look like you need the rest."

"But I want to go with you." I argued weakly.

"There's no reason for you to come with." He muttered, turning away again.

I felt more tears rise up, "I'm sorry Embry."

He paused, turning to look back at me. His eyes finally met mine. They were deep hazel and surprisingly haunted looking. He looked, tortured. "For what?" he asked.

"For betraying you." I admitted; he still looked confused. "For kissing Ronny."

He seemed to understand that. His face turned away from me to look off into the distance. "Why are you apologizing. You chose him."

"I didn't choose him, Embry. I was trying to get over you." He flinched but I kept talking, walking closer to him all the while. "When I left you, I was in terrible pain. I wanted to be normal again. I wanted to have normal feelings again. I wanted my heart to flutter when I cute guy glanced at me, or when I'd brush up against one in the hallway. I wanted to have guys look at me with lust and be flattered instead of disgusted. I wanted to be a teenage girl again. So I tried to ignore my feelings. I forced myself to kiss Ronny, to feel those feelings again. I felt them, but when I got home that night I was worse than before. I couldn't keep myself together. I broke down and realized I was trying to fill a hole with a piece that didn't fit. My feelings weren't missing, you were the one missing. You are a part of me and I can't stand loosing you." I was toe to toe with him now. "I love you, Embry."

He flinched again. His eyes were glistening in the faint moonlight. "I don't want to force you to love me." He said in a choked voice, "If you just want to be friends that's fine. You should be able to love whoever you want."

"You don't understand." I whispered, reaching up and touching the side of his face. His cheek was wet from the rain. His tear filled eyes looked back at me. "The only one I want to love is you." I ran my hands behind his neck and pulled him down so I could touch my lips to his. My heart soared and I pressed myself harder to him. My lips moved eagerly, trying to get a response from him. Finally something clicked inside of him. I felt him silently moan in his chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist; pulling me impossibly closer to him. My broken rib ached but I ignored it. Embry's breath was sweet in my mouth, making my head dizzy. I had Embry back and I was never, ever letting him go.


	31. Forever?

**I really appreciate all of the comments you guys give me! Especially from those who don't usually comment! You guys are awesomely fantastic! Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 31

Embry's hair was silky in my hands and his breath was sweet in my mouth. His rough hands were wrapped around me protectively, pulling me closer to him. I felt him laugh deep in his chest.

"What?" I asked, pulling back and smiling.

He shook his head and ran a hand tenderly over my cheek. "I'm just remembering the first time you kissed me."

My cheeks flushed and he laughed again. I leaned my head against his chest and sighed. My heart felt weird. With each beat I expected pain to follow as always but I wasn't hurting. I was whole again. I wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"I'm never letting you go." I told him.

I felt him kiss the top of my head, "And I'm never leaving."

"What happens next, though?" I asked into his chest.

He sighed, "I really don't know, Dixie."

I looked up at him; he was staring down at me with those deep hazel eyes. They were no longer hurting. They were happy now, just like my heart. "Let's just elope." I reasoned.

He let out a short laugh, "Yes, because that will go over well. You should finish high school at least, don't you think?"

"You aren't." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I have my reasons."

"I think you're a good enough reason for me."

He smiled and shook his head. "We'll figure something out." He leaned down and kissed me lightly on my forehead, then my nose and then my lips. Somehow this delicate kiss made my head spin even more. I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck again.

"What the hell is going on?"

Oh shit.

I quickly pulled away from Embry out of shock and realized that I was practically wrapped around him. When I spotted my brother I froze in horror. He was standing a few feet away wearing just a pair of jeans with a shotgun pointed directly at Embry.

Where had he gotten the gun? What was I saying? He probably kept that one in his truck.

"Who the hell are you and give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot your ass right now." He looked at me and said, "Dixie, get over here."

"No!" I shrieked at him, stepping in front of Embry. "Don't shoot him!"

Embry moved me behind him protectively. I pushed against his arm in protest but that accomplished nothing.

"Hello," Embry said in a surprisingly calm voice. He held out a hand in greeting. "I'm Embry. I knew Dixie back in Washington."

My brother just stared at Embry's outstretched hand. Embry put it back at his side as we watched my brother's face get redder. "You're Embry?"

Embry slowly nodded.

"You're the son of a bitch that hurt my little sister?" He swiftly cocked the gun.

I ducked under Embry's arm and stood in front of him, "No Rhett, it was an accident! Please believe me!"

Rhett stared at me with hard eyes. Embry hastily moved me out of the way again. Rhett pulled his eyes away from me to look at Embry again, "Are you the bitch that hurt my sister?"

"Rhett, it was an accident!!"

He wasn't listening. Embry's head slowly nodded, "I was but,"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. A crack as loud as thunder filled the air, resounding slowly off the trees. Smoke wisped from the end of the barrel of the gun as Embry let out a choked gasp.

"Embry!" I cried as his knees buckled. My hands flew out of him uselessly as he doubled over and fell to the ground. "Embry!" I called again. Embry groaned, clutching his chest. His breath was coming out in labored pants. "We have to get you to a doctor!" I exclaimed, "Rhett, start the truck!"

"Why?" He sneered, gun still in his hand. "Let's just leave the bastard here."

"I love him, Rhett!" I cried, tears falling down my face as I held Embry's head in my hands. My imprint gurgled a heavy cough. My heart felt like it was being torn into pieces and I was having trouble breathing. "Please, Rhett,"

Rhett looked at me, stroking Embry's face as he groaned again. He turned towards the truck without a word. I turned my attention back to Embry and faintly heard the truck roar to life. "It's going to be ok," I murmured through my tears. "We're getting you to a doctor."

Embry coughed again, this time coughing up blood. He muttered something I couldn't understand.

"Don't speak," I told him.

"Carlisle," he rasped.

"Who?"

"Cullen." He rasped again, eyes rolling back slightly. "Get Carlisle."

"How?" I wondered out loud.

Embry tried to speak again but coughed up more blood. "Shhh, I'll find a way."

"I can't go to a normal doctor." He breathed.

"Embry, you'll die if we don't get you to a hospital."

It was seemingly getting harder to breath for him and I felt my heart beats thicken.

"Can he get up or do we have to try to carry him?" Rhett asked standing a couple feet away. "Why can't he go to a normal doctor?"

"He needs a special doctor, he has some… problems." I quickly supplied as Embry tried to sit up, only resulting in my coughing. "Embry, just stay down!"

Embry ignored me, though, getting all the way to his feet. He leaned heavily on me for support and I saw Rhett run and helped support him as we walked slowly towards the truck.

I got in the back seat while Embry sprawled out in the back with his head on my lap. I pulled out my phone and searched my contact list as Rhett pulled out of the campground. I reached Stacy's number and called it. I hadn't talked to her since I had left Washington and I had no idea what she would say.

"Hello?" I heard her timid voice on the other line.

"Hey, Stacy, it's Dixie."

"Dixie?" She exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! I've missed you! I'm so sorry I got you sent back to Kentucky."

"It's alright, Stacy," I soothed, "But I called because I need Dr Cullen's number."

"Dr. Cullen?" She asked, "Why do you need his number?"

I sighed, "I just… really do. Please,"

"Ok, hold on." There was a muffling sound and then I heard her voice again. "Do you need his home phone?"

"Yeah, that would probably be good." She recited it to me and I wrote it down quickly. "Thanks, Stacy." I quickly hung up.

"Have Carlisle talk to the doctor." Embry breathed.

"Ok," I agreed, stroking his cheek. "It's all going to be ok."

He closed his eyes for a second, "I love you, Dixie."

Rhett hit a pot hole just then and Embry groaned in pain. "Shhh," I kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Embry. But, you'll get out of this. I know you will."

Embry closed his eyes again and sighed before coughing up some more blood. I bit my lip and tried to hold back the returning tears. I had just gotten him back and now I might lose him forever. I stroked Embry's face again and sighed, wondering if these were our last moments together.


	32. The ER

**Once again I'd like to thank you all for commenting. Even the simplest of words bring joy to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 32

A dense fog hung over the parking lot as we pulled in. The rag I was holding against Embry's wound was soaked with sticky blood. His breathing had been labored the whole 20 minute ride to the nearest hospital and every once in a while I would watch with panic as his eyes would roll back in his head with agony. The bullet wound was in his right shoulder. I thought back to human physiology and tried to remember what vital organs were around that area. I had no idea if it was low enough to have punctured a lung or not. With him coughing up blood I was worried that the bullet hit his lung. I wished I had paid more attention during science classes.

Embry refused to let us go get a gurney for him. He insisted on walking into the hospital, although I have no idea why.

"What happened?" Asked the receptionist at the front desk of the ER.

"Accidental shooting," I replied, glancing over at Rhett. He looked away.

Embry seemed even tenser now that we were at the hospital. He would flinch whenever someone would go near him and he was always looking around.

"Call Carlisle now." Embry rasped as nurses buzzed around him.

"He's running a fever." A nurse muttered to another.

"That's how he always feels." I said, touching his face while grabbing my cell phone. Embry let out a small groan of frustration and pain.

The nurse eyed me but went about her work. I quickly dialed the number I had wrote on a napkin and prayed it was correct. I looked around while it rang and realized Rhett was nowhere to be seen. I remembered how uncharacteristically silent he had been the whole ride here. I didn't get to ponder that much more because someone picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Asked a sweet musical voice.

"Hi," I machine gun answered, "Um… is Dr. Cullen there?"

"Hold on one moment," The girl on the other line replied. There was a shuffling sound as the phone shifted.

"This is Dr. Cullen."

"Hi, this is Dixie…" I flinched along with Embry as the nurse cleaned his wound. "Embry's imprint."

"Hello, Dixie. How can I help you?"

"Embry has been hurt. He was shot and we took him to a hospital because I think he needs medical attention. He wants you to speak to the doctor."

"Yes, that would probably be a good idea. Let me speak to him."

I looked around. "Umm… which one of you is the doctor?"

A couple nurses stared at me with confused expressions. "I am," Said a deep voice from behind me. A man had just walked through the door and was quickly assessing the situation. "I'm Dr. Oudman."

I held my cell phone out for him. "This is Embry's doctor. He needs to speak with you."

Dr. Oudman nodded and took the phone from me. A nurse put delicate hands on my shoulders. "Sweetheart, we're going to have to ask you to leave."

Panic swept through me. "No," I refused, squeezing Embry's hand tighter. He looked up at me with frantic eyes.

"I'm sorry, you can't stay in here. You can wait in the waiting room and we will inform you what is happening."

"Don't hurt him." I pleaded, not really thinking coherently as the nurse pulled me from the room. Besides Embry's agonized eyes the last thing I saw was Dr. Oudman on my cell phone staring at my imprint with an absolutely horrified expression.

Rhett was sitting in the waiting room looking mortified. His elbows were resting on his knees and his head was in his hands. I walked over silently and sat down next to him.

He sighed and looked at me, "You really love him?"

"With all my heart." I replied, rubbing his shoulder. It was funny. You'd think I would be upset with my idiotic brother or even hate him. But, all I felt was pity. He was trying to protect me from a nonexistent threat.

He rubbed his face tiredly. "Dixie," He looked me straight on with hard brown eyes. "What really happened to you? Why can't Embry see a regular doctor? Why was he even in the woods in the first place when he's supposed to be in Washington? I want the truth."

I bit my lip before answering. "What happened to me, more or less, is Embry was pulling me out of danger and we tripped and fell off a cliff into the ocean. He saved me from the waves. He's here because he couldn't live without me, just like I can't live without him."

"And the reason he can't see a real doctor?"

"Oh he can see a real doctor; it just takes a special kind." Rhett glared at me and I half smiled. "It really isn't my secret to tell."

He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. He looked like he was about to say something but stopped when the doors opened. Dr. Oudman walked through the door with an expression that plainly read shock. He sat down in a chair across from us and paused. "I've never really encountered a case like this before. I'm guessing you both know why?"

"I do." I answered.

Dr. Oudman glanced at Rhett but continued anyways, handing me my cell phone back. "I spoke with Dr. Cullen about our patient's… condition. Do not worry, I have been sworn to secrecy and I plan on keeping it. Patient confidentiality." He let out a short laugh at his own joke before continuing. "The bullet hit Embry's right shoulder and grazed the lung wall. There is a lot of internal bleeding but Dr. Cullen believes that it will all heal on its own." Dr. Oudman shook his head. "It doesn't feel right saying this but there is nothing I can do. Dr. Cullen assured me that we just needed to clean and dress the wound. He said that Embry's body would burn up any anesthetic we used if we tried to operate. I do insist, though, that Embry stays practically immobile for the next week while his lung heals itself. Dr. Cullen told me that it would be best if he returned to Washington where Dr. Cullen can monitor his recovery."

I nodded, taking it all in. Embry was going to have to return to La Push. I should have expected it. But I had wished he could have stayed here a little longer. Guess I'm going to have to say goodbye to my friends again.

"I'll take him home today." I answered, ignoring my brother's aghast expression.

"Alright," Dr. Oudman nodded, standing back up. I stood up with him and Rhett followed. "A nurse is wrapping up his wound. Afterwards he can leave. It is important that you get him to Washington quickly."

"I understand," I shook his hand, "Thank you Dr. Oudman."

He flashed a quick smile and laughed. "Learn something new every day, huh?"

"Tell me about it." I replied, sighing with relief. Embry was going to be ok. I glanced at Rhett who's expression was unreadable. Maybe bringing Embry back to Forks will be harder than I thought. "Can I see him, now?"

"Yes, come on." Dr. Oudman led us down the hallway to a different room than the one Embry had been in before. A nurse was swiftly attaching a gauze bandage to his chest. Embry grinned when he saw me.

It took all my strength not to run and hug him, then. "I'm taking you back to Washington," I told him at a normal tone. Then, in a whisper so low no one in the room but him heard, I said, "But I'm not leaving you there again." Embry's grin widened.


	33. First Date

**Again, thanks for all who commented! Hope you enjoy this!**

Chapter 33

"I can't let you drive all the way to Washington by yourself." Rhett said as we were walking back out to his truck. The sun had just started to peak through the dense trees. It was then that I realized I hadn't slept at all last night. Oh well.

"I won't be by myself." I replied simply, squeezing Embry's hand. "I'll have Embry with."

"That's not what I meant. You're only 16."

"I will be fine. It will only take about a day to get there. We can't get a plane with this late of notice. It would also be a whole lot easier to just drive my stuff there myself."

He stopped walking. "Your stuff? What are you talking about?"

I glanced up at Embry. He was looking down at me, eyes encouraging. "I'm moving back to Forks. I can't be without Embry."

"But mom and dad are moving back here! Dixie, just think about this for a second. They are going to be pissed off when they find out that Embry was here. How much more pissed do you think they will be when they find out that I let you drive across the country with him?"

"I'll take the blame, Rhett. Don't worry about it."

Rhett sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Embry who was standing silently next to me. "Can I speak to my sister alone for a sec?"

Embry nodded and kissed the top of my head before walking towards the truck by himself. I felt a light wave of panic wash over me as I watched him walk away. I turned my attention back to Rhett and saw that he was pacing in front of me. "Dixie… I don't even know what to say. I want to know the whole picture here and understand but you won't let me. I see you with this man that you've known for what, less than a month, and you two act like you've been together for years? Just then, when he walked away, I could tell it killed you. The image of you cradling his head after I had just shot him is never going to leave my mind." He shuddered and shook his head. "What am I supposed to do? You don't seriously think that I can let you leave do you? What about Grandma and Grandpa? What are we going to say to them?"

I stepped forward and hugged him. "This is something beyond you, brother. Hell, its beyond me. But, I can't deny it. I've tried and you saw how bad that was. The only thing you can do is let me leave with him, because if you don't I'll leave anyways. If you allow it then we will get a goodbye."

Rhett was silent for a few seconds. He pulled back from our hug but kept his hands on my shoulders; looking me straight on. "I'm going to drive you home and help you load your jeep. Please don't make me regret this." His eyes glistened dimly.

"I won't, I promise." I hugged him again. "I love you, Rhett."

"Love you too, sis." We walked back to the truck and piled in. I sat in the back with Embry again, but this time he was upright. His breathing was still slightly labored and his jaw would clench when we would hit a bump in the road but he was obviously healing.

Grandma and Grandpa were still asleep when we reached my house. All three of us snuck in as quietly as we could. Rhett started hauling out boxes that I hadn't unpacked yet. Embry tried but I wouldn't let him. Instead he helped me throw stuff in any bags we could find. I grabbed everything in my reach that wasn't replaceable.

I was really surprised when we had the jeep loaded and Grandma and Grandpa hadn't woken up yet. "I'll tell them you said goodbye." Rhett said, shutting the back of my jeep.

"Thank you," I said, hugging him again. "for everything."

"Anything for you." I laughed and pulled away swallowing thick tears in my throat.

"Thank you." Embry said, sticking his hand out.

Rhett took it slowly and shook it. "Be good to my sister or next time I won't miss."

"Rhett!" I exclaimed but Embry laughed.

"I'll keep her safe."

After hugging my brother one more time Embry and I loaded into my tiny jeep already crammed with boxes and pulled away.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this. I didn't think he'd let me go." I admitted.

Embry laughed. "Is this the part where we ride off into the sunset?"

"Sunrise," I corrected.

We drove for a few hours silently holding hands. There was everything to say but it seemed like now wasn't the right time. We were just happy to be together again.

We stopped at a truck stop Burger King for breakfast when the sun was all the way up in the sky. Since Embry would be breaking both the no shirt and no shoes rule I said I would go in and get the food. He handed me a shiny debit card as I got out.

"I have money you know." I replied.

He pushed it forward, "So do I." I rolled my eyes but took it anyways.

I returned a couple minutes later with our breakfast in a brown sack. Since the inside of my jeep was loaded with boxes we sat on the hood. I watched the semi drivers sleepily walk back to their trucks with coffee in hand. The trucks would roll out of the parking lot noisily, continuing their route. I glanced over at Embry who was looking out into the woods. It was then that I realized that we had never really been on an actual date. Sure we've spent time alone together several times. We even spent a night together. But we never did things like a normal couple. I've never been to a restaurant with him or seen a movie or any of the other things a normal couple would do. Maybe that was why he was so insistent on paying for breakfast.

As I thought harder I realized that I didn't know much about him. Well, I guess I knew more than a lot of people but not in the couple way. I knew he exploded into a furry wolf when he got mad but I didn't know what kind of music he liked. I didn't even know his favorite color.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked, taking another bite of my cheesy tots.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Blue, why?"

I shrugged, "Just curious." I took another bite. "Why blue?"

He smiled, "Well, what's your favorite color?"

"Brown." I replied quickly.

"Why brown? Brown is such a dingy color."

"Oh contraire," I smiled, "Brown is warm, it's the color of bark and dirt, it the color of chocolate…" I reached up and touched his hair, "and your hair and eyes. It reminds me of you." He smiled and took another bite of his breakfast sandwich. "You never answered my question. Why blue? I think blue is sort of a sad color."

"It's the color of your eyes." He said without hesitation. My heart fluttered and I relished the feeling. "What's with the 20 questions?"

"I was just thinking."

"Always dangerous."

"Very," I laughed, "I was just thinking how I don't know a whole lot about you. I mean, I know a lot but not the little things. Like your favorite band."

He took a thoughtful sip of his coffee, "Nickleback, you?"

"Brooks and Dunn." I took a sip of my own coffee. "Why Nickleback?"

He shrugged, "Jeez you have hard questions. I just like their sound I guess."

"Sorry," I apologized.

He laughed, "Its fine, I'm just complaining that's all."

We were silent for a while. Other questions popped into my mind but I kept them to myself. I'd save them for later. There was something else I wanted to bring up.

"So would this be considered our first date?"

He snorted and looked around, "Not much of a date. Run away while you still can."

"Too late."

He shook his head, "I guess it is, if you consider this a date. We aren't really the average couple are we? I'm sorry. I can change that when we get to Forks. I'll be off duty for a long while so we'll do normal stuff, see movies and all that jazz."

"I really don't mind." I admitted. "As long as I'm with you." I took his hand in mine and squeezed it.

He kissed my forehead. The smell of sausage and coffee slightly masked his usual woodsy scent. We finished our breakfast and hit the road. Embry insisted on driving. His excuse was that he was used to lack of sleep but I wasn't so I needed to rest. Like I was going to get any sleep.

We were driving for a good three hours. We were somewhere in Missouri when Embry started looking around a lot. I glanced at him and saw him discreetly give someone a thumbs up.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He smiled, "My pack is here."

"Here?"

"I need to speak to them real quick if that's ok." He said, pulling into a rest station.

"That's fine." I said sleepily. I had been close to dozing off before.

"I'll be right back." He squeezed my hand before getting out and heading towards where the parking lot met the woods. I saw Jacob step out in human form with just a pair of shorts on like Embry. Jacob hugged him tightly and they started talking. Their mouths moved quickly. They both looked very official, like there wasn't anything weird about their meeting. Embry patted Jacob's back before turning back towards me. Jacob slipped back into the woods and out of sight.

"What was that about?"

"Just pack business." He said, putting my jeep in drive.

"Right, they came all the way out here for a pack meeting." I snorted, "Where are they going?"

"Your campsite." He replied then clenched his teeth like he hadn't meant to say that.

"Why?"

He sighed, "They're going to see if that leech's… remains are still there." He paused. "We never burned him."

My heart froze. "What does that mean?"

"He might have put himself back together again."

My heart woke up and started racing. "Is he coming after me?"

Embry quickly grabbed my hand and kissed it. "A single vampire is no match for me and my pack. Jake and the others will finish him off. Don't worry about it."

I tried to slow my breathing but I couldn't help my racing heart. Donovan might be alive and running around somewhere. I knew for sure that his crave for my blood had not died with him. He still wanted me dead.


	34. Warnings

**Thanks to all who commented! Loved reading them! Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 34 – Rhett POV

Watching my sister drive away was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Shooting Embry had been easy. Just the fact that he had supposedly abused my sister gave me enough momentum to pull the trigger. But hearing her scream, watching her fall to the ground along with that bastard, like I had shot her too, sickened me. I watched with confusion as tears flooded her face and she cradled his head in her lap. I watched him struggle to take breaths as my sister's breathing became labored. It was like they were connected. It freaked me out. But I knew I wasn't imagining what had happened. That was the only reason I drove Embry to the hospital and the only reason I let her go. But that doesn't mean it sat any better in my stomach. I still hated the man.

A sudden shiver ran over me and I stuck my hands in my jean pockets. Dixie's Jeep was long gone and I was alone. I glanced back towards the house where my grandparents were sleeping. I was curious as to why they hadn't woken up yet but I knew I needed to get back to the campsite. I sighed and started walking towards my truck.

The ride back to the mountains seemed unbearably long and lonely. I found out campsite just the way we had left it. I crawled through the flap of the tent and started rolling our sleeping bags.

Trying to get my mind off the feeling of unease that swarmed me was impossible. Maybe if I wasn't alone it would be easier but I needed to finish the task at hand so I toughed it out. I kept worrying about what Dixie was doing right now, what Embry might be doing to her, what mom and dad were going to say when they found out, it all swirled around me like angry bees. It also didn't help that every time I walked out of the tent my eyes would automatically turn to the spot where Embry's blood stained the forest floor.

As I was rolling up the tent I heard something in the woods. It sounded like a large animal like a deer or a bear. I froze and listened as my eyes scanned the woods. I didn't see anything and soon the sound faded away. After a quiet moment I went back to work loading the truck.

The ride back seemed just as unbearably long and lonely. I tried to distract myself with the radio this time, constantly switching stations to find songs I didn't know so I could focus on figuring out the lyrics. It worked for maybe five minutes.

The sun was high in the sky then; it was probably around two in the afternoon. Instead of heading straight home I decided to pop by grandma and grandpa's house to tell them what was going on. I was surprised they hadn't called me yet when they saw the jeep was gone.

I knew things were wrong when I found their front door locked. The door was never locked during the day unless they were gone. Both their cars were in the driveway so I knew they were here. I unlocked the door with the key from inside the garage and entered the house. It was exactly the way Dixie and I had left it. The coffee sat stale in the coffee pot. Everything was in place except for grandma and grandpa… and Rocky.

"Rocky?" I hissed, wondering where the over jubilant dog was. He was usually baying at the door. I heard a whimper from the kitchen area and followed it. Rocky was under the kitchen table shaking in fear. His black fur rose menacingly and his lip was curled. "Rocky, its me." I stuck my hand out for him to sniff. At the sound of my voice his fur flattened and he army crawled forward to exuberantly lick my face. I stroked his fur absentmindedly and got up. Rocky crawled out from under the table but clung to my leg.

"Where are they, Rocky?" I asked, but all he did was wag his tail hesitantly.

I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. Rocky followed me, taking small timid steps. I passed Dixie's room that was now empty. I made my way to the end of the hall where grandma and grandpa's room was. Once I reached it I heard Rocky whine. He tucked his tail and started backing up.

That should have been and obvious warning sign that something was wrong. But I ignored Rocky's warning and knocked on the door. I waited for about ten seconds and knocked again. Finally I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open slightly. I could see their bed from where I was. They were both still in it. Were they sick? I opened the door wider.

"Grandpa?" I asked, taking a timid step forward. "Grandma? You guys ok?" I stepped closer and saw they were just laying there like they were sleeping. But something seemed off. Their heads were at weird angles, not a natural resting position. I walked to grandpa's side of the bed and touched his shoulder. "Grandpa?" I repeated, nudging his shoulder. He didn't stir. A shiver shook me and my heart started racing. "Grandma?" I reached over grandpa and shook grandma's shoulder but she remained silent. I stuck my fingers to grandpa's neck to search for a pulse but couldn't find one.

Then I heard the door shut. "They're dead."

I spun around with a gasp and saw a man in front of the door. The first thing I noticed was that he was incredibly dirty. He looked like he had been dragged behind a truck. His clothes were ripped and barely together. His eyes were coal black and he had bags under his eyes that made it look like he hadn't slept in years. He had deep red hair that hung in every direction. He was tall, about six foot. He was well built and seemed very confident. A terrifying smile plastered his face.

"Where's Dixie?" He asked with a raspy voice.

My mind flew through different answers. Of course I shouldn't tell him the truth, whoever this pshyco was he was bad news. I decided to play dumb. "Dixie who?"

He shook his head. "Don't play stupid with me, I know you're her brother. It also seems obvious that you don't know the secrets your sister does so you'll be better off if you just answer my question."

"I don't know." I said, slowly reaching for my pocket where my knife was.

He was at my side in a flash, grabbing my arm with a cold, hard hand. "Ah, ah," he scolded, "Just answer my question. You can't do any harm to me and I can do incredible harm to you… I think I have the better end of this stick. Now… tell me where Dixie is."

I swallowed hard, trying to think of what I should say when I heard a crash in the living room. The man's head swiveled in that direction at the exact moment the windows imploded. A man jumped through each of the windows. The cold man dropped my arm and started backing up. The two new men both… looked like Embry. From their dark skin stretched over huge muscles to their imposing height to their short cropped hair they were spitting images of the man I had just let my sister run away with.

The cold man hissed and bared his teeth while the other two men let out a sound that sounded like a growl. Two more of the Embry look a likes swarmed into the room. They wrestled the cold man out the door while I backed against the wall.

Shock and horror flooded me. I didn't know what to do. Should I call 911? I decided to follow the men out of my grandparent's room. The front room was a mess. Glass was everywhere from the broken bay windows. Furniture was tipped over and the door was hanging off its hinges. I heard a horrible snarling sound out front. I walked through the glass and debris to look out the broken windows.

In the front yard were four wolves. They weren't normal wolves though, they were as big as draft horses. They were all surrounding something, tearing at it viciously. A scrap flew towards me and I recognized the pale hand of the cold man.


	35. Everything

**I'm sorry for abandoning you guys. I have other stories on my mind and I'm not skilled enough to write two at once, haha. Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for all your comments on the last one. This story is coming closer to the end so I will be trying harder to get the chapters up. **

Chapter 35 – Dixie POV

Embry ground his teeth next to me. I could tell he was upset for telling me about Donovan putting himself back together and he didn't want me to worry, but I was glad he told me. I didn't being out of the loop. But, of course, I couldn't help but worry for my own life and the lives I left back in La Grange. I was running away but I had left the monster to attack my family. Knowing Embry's pack was heading to take care of him settled my stomach… a little.

I glanced at Embry and winced at his sour face. I remembered this morning at the truck stop, we had been laughing and smiling, I missed that Embry. This Embry reminded me of the Embry that had lain "dying" in my arms.

"What is your favorite food?" I asked, continuing our game of 20 questions.

He glanced at me and cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think I have one." I frowned at his lack of answer and he laughed. "What's yours?"

I thought about it for a second and decided, "I guess I really don't have one either."

"What is…" He looked out the window in contemplation, "your favorite animal?"

"That isn't very originally." I pointed out.

"Neither is favorite food."

"Touché," I paused while I thought, "I love horses."

"I like eagles." He answered then laughed at my confused face, "Didn't expect that did you?"

"I really didn't. I guess if you can turn into a wolf you would get kinda sick of them."

"It's not that." He replied. "We, meaning the packs, originally thought we were werewolves. We learned differently a couple months ago, that we are actually shape-shifters and the form of a wolf was just by chance and we could have been anything. I decided that if I could be anything else I would be an eagle."

"Do you like flying?"

"Never have, that's why I want to be an eagle."

"That's kinda cool, ya know, that you turn into an animal."

He glanced sideways at me. "It's not all it's cracked up to be." He said sadly, "There are disadvantages. But of course there are some advantages." He took my hand in his, "You for example."

An involuntary blush spread across my face and he grinned. He didn't continue with his speech though, he just held my hand and stroked my palm with his thumb absentmindedly. The little circles sent dull little sparks up my hand. I leaned my head against the seat and sighed. We were in Nebraska now, driving through the empty stretches of farmland. I felt my eyes droop. Embry's hand warmed my whole body and relaxed me, letting me drift to sleep.

Embry P.O.V.

I smiled at how quickly she fell asleep. I felt the tug of rest at my eyes but I easily ignored it. 48 hour days were nothing new to me. The only sounds in the car were the gentle hum of the Jeep's motor and Dixie's even breathing. This allowed me to think about what lay ahead of us.

There was no doubt in my mind that things were going to be rough once we got back to Washington. I wished there was some way to convince her parents that I wasn't a bad person. I ground my teeth together. This would have been so much easier if I was a normal man. You play with the cards you're dealt, though. I couldn't change who I was.

I wondered what was going on with my pack. They had probably made it to Kentucky by now and found the scent of that bastard leech. My fist clenched on the steering wheel as I remembered the bitch, his deadly mouth so close to Dixie's precious neck. I had almost been too late. If I had ignored the pull any longer Dixie would either be dead or writing in pain somewhere as the venom pumped through her blood. I shivered involuntarily and glanced at my imprint.

Her head had rolled against the window now; her eyes were shut making her beautiful eyelashes look thick and long. Her chest rose and fell with deep even breaths giving her the perfect picture of serenity. She was so beautiful it hurt. I couldn't imagine living without her ever again. Once was way too much, it almost killed us.

I didn't want to think about the last few weeks. Every second there had been a sharp pang of agony in my chest. I had thought she didn't love me, she didn't want me, she wanted someone else. I could have tolerated that but it had seemed she didn't even want me in her life. I couldn't take that. I would have been just friends if that's what she wanted but I couldn't have her completely absent from my life.

Dixie's phone started vibrating from it's spot in the cup holder. I glanced at her; she shifted her head but didn't wake up. I slid my hand out from under hers and grabbed the phone. Rhett was calling her.

I chewed my lip as I tried to decide whether to answer it or not. I finally decided that no one picking up the phone might set him in a panic. I flipped the phone open and put it to my ear. "This is Embry, Dixie is asleep."

"Did you guy's stop somewhere?" His voice on the other line sounded like it was being forced to sound composed.

"We did but we're driving now, why?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, "Aren't you… never mind."

I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what he was getting at when I realized what he was thinking. I was shot and dying less than 24 hours ago. Shit.

"What did you need, Rhett?" I asked, trying to make him forget what I had just realized.

"I met some people today." He said quietly, his composed voice breaking.

"Did you?" I asked, wondering where he was going with this. "Do I know them?"

"I would hope so, they looked exactly like you."

My pack. Jeez, this didn't sound good. "My friends? What did they say to you?"

There was another long pause on the other line. I heard him take a deep breath. "Nothing much, they were too busy breaking into my grandparent's house to drag a man outside so they could turn into wolves and tear him apart."

I felt my breath leave me. They had exposed our secret. The hand that held Dixie's phone began to shake. "You saw them turn into wolves?"

He paused again, "I saw them drag that man out of the house and when I followed them they were gone and in their place were wolves bigger than my truck."

So he didn't see them change. He only saw that they had disappeared. Rhett wasn't stupid, though. He had figured it out. He had drawn the dotted line between me and them. But if I played dumb could I convince him my friends and I had nothing to do with it?

"You're making no sense, Rhett."

"I'm not an idiot, Embry. Tell me what's going on here before I call the cops… or animal control."

It was my turn to pause. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I had to tell him everything. I had to explain it all so he wouldn't go crazy. But even after I told him everything there was a high risk that he would go crazy anyways and run to the press. I was stuck.

"I'm going to tell you everything." I said slowly to him, glancing at my sleeping imprint. This might be the chance that we needed. If Rhett understood maybe he could help us explain to her parents. Maybe. "You have to promise not to tell anyone our secrets."

"What would happen if I told someone?"

"I would be in grave danger, meaning Dixie would be too. You've already seen how connected we are. Exposing my secret would be like exposing Dixie's secret. I don't want that to happen to her. You have to promise you won't tell anyone."

I heard him grumble before he agreed. So I started my story. I told him a brief version of the legends all of us Quileutes were told when we were young. I told him how I was transformed and how my friends were also just like me. Finally, I explained imprinting to him. I explained how we were magically connected and killing one of us would kill the other. The line was silent as I wove my story.

When I finished he didn't say anything at first. When he finally spoke he said, "That explains a whole lot. I think I understand now." He sighed into the phone, "Something else happened this morning. The… vampire… killed our grandparents."

I almost dropped the phone. My hand shook with rage. I had to take deep breaths to keep myself from jumping out of my seat. This was going to kill Dixie. I knew how much she loved them.

On the line Rhett continued, "But, I understand that you need to get to Washington. Call me when you get there and get yourself checked out so I can talk to her. Please."

The last please was soft and weak. The events of that day had aged him greatly. I could tell, though, that he understood us now. He wanted us to be together. He was on our side.

"Thank you, Rhett," I said, "I will call you when we get there."

"Take care of her." He said hoarsely.

"You know I will."

He let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I do."


	36. A Crime In Itself

**So… I'm sorry for abandoning you guys… again. I have a legitimate reason for this time though. My library was having a fanfic contest that I was writing for. I'll be posting my entry sometime soon. Its what happens to bella and Edward after BD. The winner wins the NM soundtrack and 4 tickets to the NM movie. I interwove it with my other two stories Full Moon and Crescent Moon for those of you that read those two. Getting back to IS though, I'm sorry and it won't happen again because the next chapter is the epilogue, haha. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to comment!!!**

Chapter 36 - Dixie P.O.V.

When I was finally able to will my eyes to open I realized my surroundings were dark. I could hear the light hum of the motor and a random station on the radio. From the grayish tint outside I decided it was either early morning or just turning dark. I glanced at the clock, it was a little after five. I guessed it was morning.

I sat up straighter and wondered how long I had slept. Was it really morning? I slept that long? I looked around the car and saw Embry beside me and any confusion I left seemed insignificant. Embry made me realize that none of that mattered, because I had him. I was still curious, though. "Where are we?"

He smiled and looked at me, "Almost to Forks. Sleep well?"

I ran a hand through my hair which was now sticking out in random places. I smoothed it self-consciously. "I guess. I slept for a long time."

All Embry did was nod. "I'm gonna have you drop me off near the Cullen's house; then you need to go to your parents house and tell them your home."

"Why?" I asked, "Why can't I stay with you?"

"You need to be with your family right now." He took a deep breath and adjusted where his hands were on the steering wheel. "Something happened back in Kentucky."

"Did they not find Donovan?"

His brow furrowed at the mention of the name, "No, they found him. He's gone; you don't have to worry about him. But he did some damage."

"Rhett?" I gasped; fear flowed through my veins like ice water.

"No, he's… fine. It's your grandparents. Donovan murdered them. Dixie, I'm so sorry." He grabbed my hand and held it like he was afraid I was going to break apart right then. I felt like I could. I had just been at their house. Were they dead when I was packing my car to run away from them? An even worse sickness settled in my stomach. I had led Donovan to them. All of the trouble I had gotten myself into had not only affected Embry and me but also them and Rhett. I had pulled my entire family into this because of my selfish ambitions. A choked sob escaped my throat.

"Oh, Dixie, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened." Embry soothed in a slightly panicked voice.

"Why are you sorry?" Asked, my voice now filled with tears. "This wasn't your fault. I did this."

"Dixie, this wasn't your fault. Please don't think it was."

I clenched my eyes shut as the grief began to overwhelm me. "It isn't your fault either." I managed to say.

Embry didn't say anything to that. He kept holding my hand, making small circles with his thumb on my palm. "Do you want to call your brother?" He asked quietly.

I nodded, unable to say anything. I didn't know what I would say to him but I needed to talk to him. I needed to hear that he was ok.

"He knows everything." Embry said, handing me my phone. "He saw my pack and put two and two together."

"He knows your secret?" I asked, the tears pausing momentarily at the new discovery.

Embry only nodded. I waited for him to say something else but he didn't. He turned his head to look out the window. "I'm gonna drive to your house and I'll just run to the Cullen's house. You shouldn't drive right now."

I wasn't focused enough to answer to that. I just mumbled a 'mhm' as I searched through my recent calls for Rhett's number. I pushed the send button and put the phone to my ear as it began ringing. Leaves scattered in front of us as we sped down the now familiar roads. We were almost there.

***

The dirt was cool in my hand. I rubbed it through my fingers before releasing it. It fell on the first casket with a soft patter. It made the same sound as I tossed some more on the second. The Reverend's words rang in my ear. "It was a good thing that they had gone together. Separating two creatures who loved each other so much would have been a crime in itself." What he said was true. I was extremely sad that they were gone but at least they had departed this world together. It made me feel slightly better about the whole 'this is my fault' thing.

I glanced at my brother who looked rather dapper in his neat black suit. I don't think I've ever seen him so dressed up. His eyes met mine with a silent knowing. He knew the secret now and it has changed him. It has also changed me; it felt good to talk about it with someone who wasn't a mythical creature themselves. I walked towards him and he put a strong arm around my shoulder. It was not the warmth that I craved, however.

While Mom, Dad and I flew back out to Kentucky for the funeral, Embry had stayed home. He was fully recovered now but it would have been odd to see him there. Despite that, I wished I could have him hold me right now. His presence always made everything easier. Rhett, however, was the next best thing, so I leaned in and inhaled the sweet smell of his Old Spice cologne.

I could hear Mom and Dad's footsteps behind me. Saying that they were surprised to see me on their doorstep with a suitcase and eyes filled with tears would have been an understatement. They were shocked and slightly horrified. Grandma and Grandpa's murder was still being investigated by the police. Rhett had told them he had returned to find the house broken into and our grandparents dead. The coroner said that they had died of broken necks. They were unable to trace any finger prints they found in the house but they weren't giving up. The most confusing pieces of evidence they had, for them anyways, were tufts of hair stuck on the broken window that, after DNA testing, turned out to be a new species of canine. They also found large prints in the front yard that resembled that of the Timber wolf… but they were three times as large. Rhett told them he never saw any dog-like creatures except for poor Rocky who was now always terrified and slowly adjusting to his new home with Rhett.

"How is Embry?" Rhett asked in a quiet voice.

"He's healed." I answered in the same tone. "He was out running patrols when I called last night." I had called his house phone and talked to his poor mom who was still confused and depressed about her son's behavior. She had told me she didn't know where he was, meaning he was with his pack.

"That's good." Rhett replied then was silent. We had reached the road where our cars were parked. He shifted to look back at our parents. "I'm going to talk to them. Try to convince them to let you stay up there." He looked me straight in the eye then. "I listened to what the Reverend said. Separating you two would be a crime."

I smiled and rested my head against him. "I love you, brother."

A small laugh shook his chest. "You're welcome. Just be careful."

Later that night after the guests had gone home I heard Rhett talking softly with them. The original plans were that just dad would go back and I would stay here with mom. Rhett was trying to tell them to let me go back. I didn't know exactly what he was saying but he promised he wouldn't give anything away. Mom and dad were silent the whole time they were talking. I lay on the downstairs couch and shivered. I knew it didn't matter what they said. I was still going back. I just wished that I could keep both my family and Embry. But I knew which of those two I couldn't live without. I would be going back to Embry no matter what.


	37. Epilogue Your Guardian Angel

**This is it! The final chapter! Ya know, I was kinda excited before to get this story over with but now I'm sad. I actually teared up when I finished this chapter. I'm gonna miss Dixie and Embry. Hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I love you guys!**

Epilogue – Your Guardian Angel

When you love someone more than you love your own life you would do anything for them. You would risk life and limb just to make them happy. Maybe that is why Embry decided to say yes to my parents request that they meet him over dinner. The little timeless tradition seemed obsolete to a relationship like ours but Embry willingly agreed. It seemed he would do anything for his imprint.

Mom and dad had let me come back to Washington with them. I was forever in Rhett's debt. He didn't tell me everything that he had said but whatever he said convinced them. Well, convinced them enough to let Embry have a second chance. Not sure if they completely trusted him yet.

Embry arrived at our front door promptly at seven just like he said he would. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen him with so much clothes on. He was actually wearing a shirt [i]and[/i] shoes. They were nice shoes and a nice shirt. too. He was wearing gym shorts but I knew he would have worn long pants if he owned a pair that were long enough for him. He had a goofy grin on his face that made me giggle.

"You clean up well." I jeered, taking his hand and leading him into the house.

"Thanks," He muttered, his eyes lightly appraising me. I hadn't dressed up at all, in fact I was wearing my worst pair of jeans and a simple unisex t-shirt. "You always look beautiful."

I shook my head and laughed. He chuckled deep in his throat and leaned down to kiss my forehead. His lips almost reached me before someone cleared his throat.

I jumped but Embry remained composed. My dad was standing in the kitchen doorway with his arms crossed looking very peeved. "Hello Sir," Embry said, reaching a hand towards my father, "I'm Embry Call."

My dad stared at Embry's hand for a few brief seconds before shaking it. "Hello Embry,"

I could already tell this was going to be awkward. I groaned internally and led Embry towards the kitchen where mom was putting dinner on the table.

"Oh," She said in a startled voice, "hello."

"Hi, it's nice to officially meet you." Embry said politely shaking my mother's hand also.

"Same," My mom said slowly, her eyes glancing towards my father who hovered in the background.

We sat down for dinner shortly after the awkward greeting. My parents continued asking Embry questions about his family, his job – he claimed to be a mechanic – and his schooling. They were not too happy to hear that he dropped out of school but he did a good job of sticking up for himself. I guessed that he had rehearsed many situations before he came over.

"It was good to talk to you Embry." My dad said as he started guiding Embry towards the door after dinner was over. "I think both of us found a better picture of who you are." He looked at me for a few seconds then back at Embry. "I will allow you to date my daughter, but only with some conditions."

The joy that zipped through me was also visible in Embry's eyes. He glanced at me and smiled. "When you two go on dates," My father started, "One of us," he motioned to himself and my mom, "has to be with you. Or you can double date, but we must meet the other couple first. No dates on school nights. And before any of these rules can change you," He pointed a finger at my imprint, "must get your G.E.D."

I held back a snort at Embry's nonchalant expression. All of those rules were feasible to him. He was allowed to spend time with me and that was all that mattered. The rules would be easy to obey after feeling life without each other.

"That is agreeable." Embry grinned at my father. "Can I come over and see Dixie tomorrow?"

"Yes, both of us will be here to supervise." My father said sternly.

I rolled my eyes and started walking towards Embry. "Thanks dad," I hugged him tightly. "Can I say good bye to Embry now?"

I could tell he knew I was mocking him but he didn't respond. He simply nodded and walked away.

I slid towards Embry and grabbed both his hands in mine. "Do you really have to go now?"

"Technically yes. But I will be in your dreams." He winked and I picked up the cue.

"Can't wait to see you then." I played along.

He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. I could just feel my dad fuming behind me but I didn't care. I kissed Embry back and softly touched his face. His lips pulled up into a grin and he slowly pulled away. "See ya later." He murmured before turning and walking away.

I turned around and hugged my dad again. I really wanted to talk to him about all the strict boundaries he put up but I decided I shouldn't push my luck for tonight. "Thank you daddy." I cooed.

"Your welcome. We just want you to be safe, Dixie."

"I know." I pulled back and looked at them both. "If you don't mind I think I'm gonna go to bed early."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." My mom smiled and agreed.

I turned around and bolted up the stairs as sluggishly as I could manage before my father could object or something. I changed into my pajamas and curled up with a book on my bed to wait.

At ten o'clock I heard the soft patter of stones on my window. I got out of bed in a giddy state and flung open the window. Embry was down below with his little handful of pebbles. "Coming up?"

"Only if you move out of the way." He grinned.

I stepped away from the window to give him enough room to make the entrance to my room. He jumped in gracefully; barely making a sound. I rushed forward and wrapped his warm body in a hug. "It would be easier for you to get up here if you were an eagle." I whispered.

He chuckled deep in his chest. "I told you so."

I shook my head at him and laughed, pulling him towards my bed. We cuddled up close, just enjoying the presence of the other. I fell asleep after a while but woke up only a couple hours later. I found Embry playing with a piece of my hair.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He apologized.

"No, I'm sorry I fell asleep. I didn't want to."

"You don't have to worry about me leaving. I need you as much as you need me. I'll always be here for you."

"Oh, I know that." I said, "I just can't help but worry."

He kissed my nose sweetly, "I don't care how many boundaries your parents put on us. I will never leave you or let you leave me again."

I sighed and pressed my head into his chest. We were both silent for a long time except for the involuntary breaths and beats of our hearts. I don't know how long we lay there but the serenity was broken when Embry shifted almost nervously.

I pulled back just enough to look at his face. His hazel eyes were boring into mine. "What?" I asked.

His eyes shifted around the room. "Would you ever want to get married? I don't mean, like, tomorrow or even within the next year or so. I'm just wondering if… someday… would you like to marry me?"

My heart forgot its job for a few seconds. He was proposing to me. Not the whole get down on one knee deal but I think I almost preferred this more. It was more natural. Not some extravagant planned event. I took a deep breath before replying confidently, "Yeah, I would like to marry you someday."

He let out a breathy almost relieved laugh. "I'm glad." His eyes stared into mine for a few sweet seconds before he leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead. His lips trailed down my face till they reached my mouth where he kissed me tenderly. I kissed him back, filing my head with his airy breath and scent. I couldn't wrap my mind around what I was doing. I was kissing Embry, my imprint, boyfriend, _fiancé_, my whole life. I knew for a fact that I could never leave this man, for leaving him would mean leaving a piece of me. We were one person. Off in the distance thunder rolled angrily but everything was ok. I had Embry, my life, my imprint.

**Some of you may be curious what my plans are now. Well, I have decided to take a break from fanfiction for now. I will keep writing though. I'm working on a currently untitled story (Cassie is excited for summer vacation before senior year with her perfect boyfriend Ben, but when things don't go her way she finds herself lost in the silver eyes of Asa Bailey an eccentric local rockstar. Cassie must now choose between the world she has known and loved or this new world that can't seem to let her go.) It does have aspects of the mythical world (werewolves, vamps ect..). I will be posting it in another forum. If you want the link to the forum send me a pm with your e-mail address. Or specify if you want just to be e-mailed the chapters instead, I will be doing that for some of my friends. Hope to hear from you soon! Keep in touch either way! I love you guys! Please leave one last comment!!!**


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